Not Dead Yet
by Jedicellomaster
Summary: After you save the world, there's always something else. Green is Dragonborn, and so is his sister Violet. Eventually, their paths separate five months after defeating Alduin. Green goes on to save the world yet again with Serana. Violet tries to make amends with her brother, but only ends up making them worse with Marcurio. None of them could predict where they'd end up.
1. Prologue

"Well, this sucks."

Green rolled his eyes as Violet sat on the Carpenter's bench.

"You can't be so negative, sister." He said, putting the finishing touch on a blueprint.

Violet sighed. "Green, it's been five months since Alduin fell, and since then, nothing has happened! I'm bored."

Green very carefully placed down the quill. He was so tired of her complaining. He could handle the boredom (He was bored, himself). He could even handle the constant invasion of his personal time. But he could not _stand_ her constant search for violence. It was maddening. Sometimes, it was hard to believe that they came from the same mother.

He tried to choose his words carefully. "Would it kill you," he said slowly, "to engage in peaceful activity every once in a while?"

Violet seemed to consider this. "Yes."

Green groaned in frustration. "You're impossible."

Her eyes flashed with anger. "Oh, I'm impossible? I'm not the one who spends all day moping!"

"I do not _mope!_ "

Violet jumped off the carpenting table. "Oh, yes you do!"

"At least I know how to maintain a decent relationship!"

"At least I don't reject a part of myself!"

Instantly, Violet knew she had struck a nerve and wished she could take it back. The matter of the wolf was a sensitive topic, and she had just shot it with lighting.

Green stood so fast that the chair he was sitting on slammed into the ground with a loud _thud!_

"I'm leaving," he said. "I am so _sick_ of you always taking my time and corrupting my motives!"

Violet's anger flared up again, and she forgot her regret. "I do not corrupt your motives! You do that on your own!"

Green ignored her and strode across the grass where his horse was tied to a fence.

"Fine!" She shouted at him as he sat in the saddle. "Leave me alone! I hope you never come back!"

The horses hooves slammed into the dirt, and just like that, her brother was gone.

"Shit," she said, watching him go.


	2. Chapter 1

***clears dust off of computer* It has been a long time since I've been on this website! Before I start writing my other story ( _Forbidden_ , check it out!) I figured I should probably get my feet wet again. So here is a fic about one of my favorite games of all time: Skyrim. Normally I hate Video Game Fanfics, but I just couldn't resist. I love the plot of this DLC so much. **

**Fair warning though: I left some parts out because they were just too tedious to write. If any of you haven't played Skyrim and/or the Dawnguard DLC, and would like to know what's missing, I would be willing to fill in the blanks.**

 **Anyways. Here's the first chapter!**

* * *

 **6 months later**

Green coughed and waved a piece of Hanging Moss out of his face. He hadn't expected the path to be so...damp. And musty. And dark.

Well, at least one of those problems was easily fixed. With a wave of his hand and a little magicka, Green was able to produce Candlelight, and a ball of light appeared above his head. While it may not have been his favorite spell, he had to admit that it was effective.

When he had heard that a group of Vampire Hunters was forming, he didn't really know what to think. He hadn't really come across any vampires yet, so he mainly just ignored the news. That is, until he watched a harmless girl, infected with Sanguinare Vampiris, transform in front of his very eyes and attack him. She had even asked for a cure; he'd had none.

Green blinked to banish the memory and suddenly found himself in a snowy mountain path; a stark contrast to the pitch-black cave he'd been in just a moment ago. He waved his hand and the ball of light above his head disappeared, which allowed him to see clearly. When he heard of Fort Dawnguard, he expected something simple, something easy to reach, instead of a scavenger hunt for a cave that led to a clearing that (hopefully) led to the fort itself.

Green sighed and blew a strand of webbing out of his face. What a great first impression that would be: covered in cobwebs and moss. He dusted the pieces of dirt and dust off of his steel plate armor and made sure that his sword was still in place before he started down the hill, which rapidly turned from a cold, mountain-like area to a warm, open valley so fast that he nearly got whiplash.

Several of the animals got a whiff of his scent and ran, but he was pretty fast himself. When he pulled out his bow, a fox, rabbit, and deer all failed to run fast enough. He kept the freshly-acquired meat and skins in his knapsack.

When he got closer to a small pond full of clear, blue water, he paused for a moment to check his reflection in the water. His short black hair was a little messy, like usual, but it did have some cobwebs in it. He brushed them out and wiped some grime away from his green eyes and checked his green war paint. Three dashes, two above one. Okay, he was set.

As he stood and looked on the path, he saw a man dressed in a threadbare green tunic and breeches with an iron battle axe hanging on his belt. He had long blond hair and a small beard, though it looked more like whiskers than anything else. He was barely a man; if Green had to guess, he would say around 16, which was 3 years younger than he was.

Green coughed to make his presence known. The man had been staring at something in the distance that Green couldn't quite see; nonetheless the lad looked terrified. Was there a bear on the path?

The man turned. Upon closer inspection Green could see that he had bags under his eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept in quite a while.

"Oh, hey there." The man said. "You here to join the Dawnguard too?"

Green nodded. Before he could say anything else the lad had already started talking again.

"Truth is, I'm a little nervous. I've never done anything like this before. I hope you don't mind if I walk up with you."

Green waved his hand in dismissal. "No problem. Where are you from?"

The man shrugged. "Just a farm, down south." They started to walk, and after a few moments, he spoke again. "Listen, ah...don't tell Isran I was afraid to meet him by myself. Not the best impression for a new vampire hunter, I guess."

Green laughed. "Don't worry, I won't."

The man took a moment to shake Green's hand. "I'm Agmaer, by the way."

"Green." Despite Agmaer's appearance, he had a good, strong handshake. There was hope for him yet.

Agmaer's eyes flashed in curiosity at the unusual name. "How'd your parents come up with that one?"

Green swallowed. "It's quite the tale."

They walked a bit farther as they walked, not going particularly fast, for Agmaer's sake.

"You've probably killed lots of vampires, huh? I'm sure Isran will sign you right up. Not sure he'll take me. I hope so." He was fidgeting nervously.

Green nodded to encourage the lad. "I'm sure you'll be fine. If Isran's a smart man, and I'm sure he is, he won't turn down any fighters."

"Yeah, well —" Suddenly, it was as if the words had fallen right out of Agmaer's mouth. When Green followed his gaze, his jaw went slack.

Over the hill that they were walking on was a gigantic fort. It was bigger than the size of Dragonsreach! It was more like a castle than a fort, and it seemed to be built directly into the mountainside.

Agmaer was the first to speak. "So that must be it. Fort Dawnguard. Wow. It's bigger than I expected."  
Green nodded again, quite feverishly. When he heard "vampire hunters", he had assumed a small fort with too many people in it. Instead, it was an incredibly massive fort, with too little people in it.

"Where is everyone?" Agmaer asked. "The place looks deserted."

"I don't know." Green said. He and Agmaer turned left and started to pick up the pace, eager to see what was inside.

As they speed-walked, Green noticed several things about the place: the fort was incredibly secure, the animals seemed to avoid the place like poison, and that there were peculiar archery weapons lying about. He'd seen the ammo used to load them before; he had been shot at by dwemer inventions, after all, but he had never been able to get the dwemer bolts to work in his bow. He'd talk to Isran about it, after he met the man.

As Green and Agmaer marched up the hill that led to the entrance, Green noticed an orc in heavy armor emblazoned with the Dawnguard symbol shooting the peculiar archery weapon at a set of targets. He'd ask him about it as well.

"This is quite the fort." Green said to his newly-acquired friend.

Agmaer nodded in disbelief. "Tell me about it."

"Here to join the Dawnguard?" A man with brown hair and a beard, also in heavy Dawnguard armor, asked them as they approached. When they both nodded, the man smiled, but it seemed forced. "Isran will decide if you've got what it takes." When the man saw the two initiates hesitating, he nudged them forward. "Go on, he's right inside."

Green and Agmaer looked at each other hesitantly before Green stepped forward and pushed open a set of large, iron studded, wooden doors.

The inside of Castle Dawnguard was bigger than Green could have imagined. The opening hall was humongous, and he couldn't even see the rest of the place. The top of the room had a balcony and a sunroof, which shined sunlight into the castle brightly. More protection against Vampires.

"Why are you here, Tolan?" A deep voice rang out as they entered the hall. Green and Agmaer glanced at each other before creeping towards the wall so as not to interrupt.

"The Vigilants and I were finished with each other a long time ago."

The two men speaking both looked very fierce. In the center of the room was a man with dark skin and black hair shaved close to his skull. He was also wearing heavy Dawnguard armor, but he seemed to hold a higher confidence than the other soldiers that they had come across. Green guessed that this was Isran. No wonder Agmaer had been scared to meet him by himself. He was an intimidating man.

The other man was far less frightening. In fact, if it were a brawl, Green was quite certain that he could take the man. He didn't look like much of a warrior. Still, he carried a iron warhammer on his back. He had bright red hair and mutton chops that were longer than Green's middle finger. This must have been Tolan, and he looked very much distressed.

Tolan's eyes danced around the room, as if he were afraid that something would jump out of the shadows and attack him. "You know why I'm here. The Vigilants are under attack everywhere. The vampires are much more dangerous than we believed."

Green resisted a scoff. They didn't have to tell him twice about the danger of vampires; the Vigilants of Stendarr, however, were another matter.

"And now you want to come running to safety with the Dawnguard, is that it?" Isran scoffed. "I remember Keeper Carcette telling me repeatedly that Fort Dawnguard is a crumbling ruin, not worth the expense and manpower to repair. And now that you've stirred up the vampires against you, you come begging for my protection?"

Green glanced at Agmaer. He was so pale that he could have blended in with a piece of paper, and he could see why. The argument between the two men was growing heated.

Tolan thought for a moment, agony flickering across his tough features. He took a step forward. "Isran, Carcette is dead."

The word "dead" hung in the large hall. Green felt pity and a small twinge of sorrow. He had met Carcette, once. He prayed that, though he was not a Nord (but a thoroughbred Imperial), and neither had Carcette been, that she had been sent to Sovngarde.

"The Hall of the Vigilants...everyone. They're all dead. You were right, we were wrong. Isn't that enough for you?"

A flicker of an emotion other than anger appeared on Isran's face. _He truly does feel sorry,_ Green thought. _Good_.

"Yes, well..." Isran seemed to struggle for the words that he wanted to say. "I never wanted any of this to happen. I tried to warn you. I am sorry, you know."

Maybe it was the way that Green and Agmaer were standing, but Isran's eyes flicked over them for just a moment, and that was all he needed.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" He was speaking to Green. "Step forward, boy."

Green did as he was told and stepped forward until he was right in front of the men. "I'm here to join the Dawnguard."

Isran chuckled. "So you've got a fire in you belly to kill vampires, eh? Good for you." He sighed. "But look around. There's not really much to join yet. I've only just started rebuilding the Order."

Green considered his options. That was problematic. "What can I do to help?"

Isran answered without hesitation, which Green found unnerving. "I need someone in the field, taking the fight to the damn vampires, while we're getting the fort back into shape."

Green nodded. That he could do.

Isran glanced at Tolan. "Tolan was telling me about some cave that the Vigilants were poking around in. He seemed to think it was related to some of these recent Vampire attacks." He turned to Tolan. "Tolan, tell him about — what was it? Dimhollow."

Tolan nodded in agreement. "Yes, that's it. Dimhollow Crypt. Brother Agalvald was sure it held some long-lost vampire artifact of some kind. We didn't listen to him anymore than we did Isran. He was at the hall when it was attacked." There was such sorrow in his voice, mingled with anger, that Green was suddenly afraid Tolan was going to do something stupid.

Isran straightened. "That's good enough for me. Go see what the vampires were looking for in this...Dimhollow Crypt." Then he smiled. "With any luck, they'll still be there." Then he pulled out one of the peculiar archery weapons from off his back and tossed it to him, along with a hefty amount of steel bolts. "And here, you should take a crossbow. Good for hunting out those fiends before they get too close. Feel free to poke around the fort and take what you need. There isn't much yet, but you're welcome to anything you can use."

"Thanks." Green started to turn away, but Tolan grabbed his arm.

"I'm coming with you to Dimhollow Crypt. It's the least that I can do for my fallen comrades."  
Isran shook his head. "Tolan, I don't think that's a good idea. You Vigilants were never trained for —"

"I know what you think of us. You think we're soft, that we're cowards. You think our deaths proved our weakness. Stendarr grant that you never have to face the same test and be found wanting." Tolan looked at Green, fire in his eyes. "I'm going to Dimhollow Crypt. Perhaps I can be of some small assistance to you." Then he turned on his heel and stomped out of the fort.

Green swallowed. It seemed that Tolan has done something incredibly stupid, as he feared.

Green just hoped he hadn't done the same.

* * *

 **I'm really hoping this chapter wasn't as terrible as I thought it was. Please review, so I know if I suck. Or review if you think that it was good. Or you could review because you're feeling nice - either way, I appreciate it.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Oh, yeah. I almost forgot.**

 **Yeah, I don't own any of this. It would be great if I did, but I don't...**

 **Anyways. This chapter is a little short, but they will get longer, I promise.**

* * *

Marcurio yawned as he stretched on his bench. It was past midnight in The Bee and the Barb, and he really should be going to sleep, but something told him to stay for just a moment longer.  
Despite the late hour, there were still people drinking and talking in the tavern. Mostly drinking. The ones that tried to talk were slurring incoherently.

Marcurio resisted a yawn. It was like this every day, with little to no change other than the type of beer served. He had sat in the same spot for years and nobody had hired him. Maybe he _should_ just go back to the College. It would certainly be better than sitting in that skeever den for the rest of his days. Not that they would accept him back.

Suddenly the door to the tavern burst open, and cold air threatened to extinguish the candles in the room.

All activity in the bar stopped. Every single head turned towards the door, to where _someone_ seemed to be standing.

The figure stepped into the room, pulling down their hood.

Marcurio cocked his head. It was a woman. A pretty one, at that. She had dark brown hair and green eyes that shone like the sun. She was wearing strange black leather armor and had a glass sword on her hip.

The woman stepped up to the bar and ordered a drink, and the Argonian Keerava, the owner of the bar, readily supplied it. Was she afraid of this mystery woman?

But no. Even as Marcurio watched, the movements were filled with respect, not fear. The difference was subtle, but it was there.

As if the woman sensed he was watching, she turned in her seat to look at him. Marcurio met her gaze. He would _not_ be intimidated by a stranger.

The woman drank her mead quickly and then approached the bench he sat on with more confidence than most usually did.

"I'm Violet," the woman said, sticking out her hand for Marcurio to shake. Her voice surprised him, because it revealed her true age. She was probably around his age, about 23.

"Marcurio," he responded, shaking her hand. She had a firm handshake.

"So, Marcurio," Violet said, scratching her scalp. "Why are you here? And spying on me?"

" _Spying_?" Marcurio spluttered. "I was not _spying._ "

She crossed her arms. "Then why are you sitting here, alone, in this tavern, long after you should have gone to sleep, watching me?"

He scoffed. "Milk-drinkers go to bed before this hour."

 _Even though I wanted to,_ he thought.

Violet frowned, and Marcurio realized he didn't really answer the question.

He sighed. "I'm waiting for someone to hire me."

She smirked, and he could tell she was holding back a laugh. "You? Why would anyone hire you?"

Maybe he should have spoken to her more respectively. This woman radiated danger. But Marcurio was not a coward.

He stood, his anger getting the best of him. "My skills in battle are unmatched. Which is more than I can say for you."

Violet began to draw her sword, but Marcurio was faster. He drew his dagger and placed it against her neck, right next to the essential artery there.

She smirked. "Not bad. Look down."

Against his better judgement, Marcurio looked down.

And found her glass sword pressed against his groin.

Violet sheathed her weapon as quickly as she had drawn it, and it was only after a moment's hesitation that Marcurio did the same.

"Congratulations, Marcurio. Consider yourself hired."

* * *

 **Please review. I don't expect this story to get many views, but reviews are helpful all the same.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Alright, so this is just a filler chapter so y'all know what's going on. Personally, it's not my favorite, but I'll let you guys decide.**

 **I own nothing except Violet and Green's background stories.**

* * *

The first thing Serana felt was cold. And not the usual cold that she felt.

It was not unlike the frost spell she was fond of. This was a piercing cold that reached into her bones and scooped out the marrow.

The next thing she felt was rumbling, and then warm air swept into her face. Her eyes were closed, so she knew not what was happening at first, but as soon as she started to fall, and as soon as a pair of hands caught her, she understood.

Someone had woken her.

"What?" They exclaimed, confusion evident in their voice.

Serana groaned and struggled to stand. She felt dizzy. When she managed to get her balance, and her eyes were open, she was able to get a clear look at the man who had freed her.

He was well built, if a little scrawny, and he had heavy armor on the the symbol of a sun emblazoned on the armor.

He was a vampire hunter.

It was evident in the way he stood, and even in the way his armor was forged. It was most evident, however, in his sword. Serana had heard tales of Dawnbreaker but had never seen it for herself. It was even more fearsome in person. The sword pommel shone like the sun, and Serana felt a strange unpleasant tingling on her skin where the light touched it.

Unfortunately, as she got a good look at him, he got a good look at her. He must have realized what she was because he kept back and drew Dawnbreaker from its scabbard and into a ready position.

Serana decided she needed to get answers and spoke. "Unh...where is...who sent you here?"

The man wore a large helmet that completely enclosed his face, but Serana was sure he was glaring at her. "Who were you expecting?"

"I was expecting someone...like me, at least." She surveyed him carefully. She was too weak to fight, so she would have to talk her way out of this. If the smell of vampire blood on his armor was any indication, he was a capable warrior.

The man hesitated. "Are you a —"

"Vampire?" Serana sighed, but the air was heavy and wouldn't go back into her lungs. "Yes."

They stared at each other for several moments, each daring the other to make a move.

 _He's not like the others, or he would have attacked me by now_ , Serana thought, after a long while.

Slowly, the man lowered Dawnbreaker, but kept it at his side.

Serana didn't say anything, but she relaxed. It seemed a cruel joke that she would need this man's help.

He cocked his head at her, curious. "So why were you locked away like this?"

Serana hesitated. She needed his help, but she wasn't sure she could trust him. Not yet. "That's...complicated. And I'm not totally sure if I can trust you." She glanced around the cave. "But, if you want to know the whole story, help me get back to my family's home."

It was a long time before he responded.

"Where do you need to go?" He said.

Serana nodded in approval and tried not to show the extent of her relief. "My family used to live on an island to the west of Solitude. I would guess they still do." She started to move, but then stopped herself. "By the way, my name is Serana. Nice to meet you."

The man kept one hand on his sword and stuck out the other one for her to shake. "I'm Green. Nice to meet you, too."

Serana considered his hand for a moment before shaking it firmly. What a strange name.

No matter. The deal had been struck.

 **x x x**

Serana walked out of the cave with dust in her glowing eyes and Draugr blood on her dagger. Mother had never told Serana the precautions she had took.

She walked ahead of Green and breathed deeply. "Ah. It's so good to breathe again. Even in this weather —" she gestured to the heavy onslaught of snow. "It's better than that cave."

Green seemed to agree, because in one swift motion he had removed his helmet and breathed deeply.

Serana sucked in her breath. She didn't know what she had expected him to look like (maybe an Orc, or an Argonian, or something easily as dehumanized), but certainly not...that.

Green was a man with sharp features. His nose had clearly been broken before, but he managed to make it look good. His short black hair was messy from wearing the helmet, but his green war paint was miraculously unmarred. It wasn't very bright outside, but his green eyes shone as much as Serana's orange ones did.

Green shielded his eyes from the sunset and looked down the hill they were standing on. "I think we're near Dawnstar. We should be able to make it there before nightfall."

Serana nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me." It wasn't like Mother had discussed what to do once she had been freed.

Green started to walk down the hill that was now covered with ice. It seemed to be snowing harder than it was before Serana was sealed away in Dimhollow, if that was even possible. Fortunately for her guide, he seemed to be experienced in both walking in the wilderness and in snow and ice, so he was able to walk down the hill without much problem. Serana, however, was not as graceful.

After she had slipped and fallen on her face for the third time, Green turned around, leaned his back against a frozen tree, and looked at her. She was struggling to walk carefully down a particularly icy part of the hill.

"Do you need help?" Green said. "I know a few tips about walking in snow."

She shook her head, but after sliding a few more feet down the slope, she changed her mind. "How do you do this?"

Green chuckled a bit and walked over so that he was right next to her. "First things first. Since we're on a slope, bend your knees. You're as stiff as a board." He waited until Serana did what he said until he continued. "Walk a little sideways, again, since we're on a hill. Also, walk with your feet moved a little farther apart, for more balance."

She did as he said, and in no time, they were able to start moving again. In a few minutes they were off the hill and on more level ground, which meant that they both had more focus for conversation.

"How do you know how to walk in snow like that?" Serana asked him.

Green shrugged. "I used to live...in a more snowy climate."

She glanced at him suspiciously, but didn't say anything.

"Well, since you're so curious, it's only fair if I get to ask you a few questions," he started. When she didn't stop him, he continued. "Why were you locked away?"

"I'd rather not get into that with you, if that's okay." When she saw his tightened jaw, she spoke again. She needed him to trust her so he wouldn't run her through. "I'm sorry. It's not that... its just that I don't know who I can trust yet."

Green sighed as she walked ahead of him. Serana didn't feel comfortable around him yet, and there was no doubt that the same could be said for him.

The light must have caught on her back, because she heard the man gasp.

"Is that an Elder Scroll?" Green demanded.

Serana rolled her eyes. They had spent well over an hour together. How had he not noticed before?

She turned around and narrowed her eyes at him. "Yes, it is. And it's mine."

Green opened his mouth, then closed it again as his eyes widened in panic. "Is it fragile? Do we need to be careful with it?"

Serana laughed at him. "Ha. Nothing can destroy an Elder Scroll. Worry more about protecting your hide, and let me worry about my things."

Green squinted at her in suspicion. "But why do you have an Elder Scroll?"

"It's complicated. I can't really talk about it. I'm sorry." She made sure to appear completely un-sorry.

They walked a few more minutes in silence until she spoke again. "Who is Skyrim's High King?"

"Why do you ask?" Green said, moving a piece of brush out of his way.

"I'm trying to figure out how long I was in there for."

Green seemed to think about it for a moment. "That's actually a question for debate."

Serana sighed. "Oh, wonderful. A war of succession. Good to know the world didn't get boring while I was gone. Who are the contenders?"

Green laughed. Strange. She hadn't expected a vampire hunter to be able to laugh. "The Empire supports Elisif, but there are many in Skyrim who are loyal to Ulfric."

She stopped walking suddenly. "Empire? What...what Empire?"

Green stared at her in disbelief. "The Empire. You know...from Cyrodiil?"

"Cyrodiil is the seat of an Empire?" Serana exclaimed. "I must have been gone longer than I thought. Definitely longer than we planned. Please, let's hurry. I need to get home so I can figure out what's happened."

Green sighed again.

Solitude was a long ways away.

* * *

 **Please Review!**


	5. Chapter 4

**For the record, this may be the last chapter I post until at least Monday - I have some homework to catch up on and my brother's birthday was today, so I'll probably be tied up in family affairs for the weekend.**

 **I own nothing, blah blah blah. You get it.**

* * *

Serana glanced around Fort Dawnguard's Torture Chamber. There was blood all over the place. Literally. It was on the walls, on the instruments, and even on the dusty bottles of mead lying around.

Isran was testing her with all this blood. He wanted to see if she would go ballistic and try to feed on someone. Or maybe he simply wanted to use one of the instruments on her. She had no way of knowing. All she could do was hope that Green appeared shortly to spare her the speculation.

Green. What an odd name. It occurred to Serana that she had never asked him why he went by that name. It had to of been a nickname, or an alias. She didn't know why, but suddenly Serana found herself dying (or, well...dying again) to find out what his real name was.

Honestly, she didn't even know why she was there. The Dawnguard wanted her dead; she could see it in their eyes. Green would probably help them, too. She had only known him for three days, after all!

But no. There was something about him...something trustworthy. He could have killed her the moment he realized what she was, but he didn't.

She could hear them conversing in the main hall. Then, strangely, she heard a series of barks, as if a dog were nearby.

Then Isran appeared around the corner, glaring daggers at her with his pale eyes. He kept his hand on his weapon and stood a yard away at all times, as if he wanted to attack but didn't want to get too close. Then the sound of claws on the stone floor could be heard and an armored husky appeared around the corner, his tongue hanging out of its mouth in a goofy grin. It took one look at Serana, stopped in its tracks, and then bound up to her to say hi. It's fur was incredibly soft.

"Stupid mutt needs more training." Isran muttered.

And then he appeared. He was still wearing a full set of heavy Dawnguard armor, and he had that full Dawnguard helmet hanging on his belt. His black hair was a little messed up, but his green war paint was exactly as it was the day she met him, though his eyes were a lot more tired. When he saw her, his eyes widened, but he did not draw his weapon.

That's how Serana knew she made the right choice.

"Come here, Bran." Green commanded his newfound husky. Bran licked Serana's hand one more time and then padded back over to his master happily.

"This Vampire showed up while you were away." Isran said. "I'm guessing it's the one you found in Dimhollow Crypt. Says it's got something really important to say to you." He turned to Serana, hostility in every move. "So, let's hear it."

She bristled at being called an "it", but she answered all the same when Green spoke to her.

"You probably weren't expecting to see me again." Serana said.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

She shrugged. "I'd rather not be here, either, but I needed to talk to you." He started to speak, but she cut him off. "It's important, so please just listen before your friend here loses patience."

Green nodded and petted Bran at the same time.

She took a breath. "It's...well, it's about me. And the Elder Scroll that was buried with me."

Green quirked an eyebrow. "What about you?"

Serana said nothing about it, but secretly she was pleased he had asked about her and not the Elder Scroll. "The reason that I was down there. And why I had an Elder Scroll with me. It all comes back to my father. I'm guessing you figured this part out already, but my father is not exactly a good person. Even by Vampire standards. He wasn't always like that though. There was...a turn. He stumbled onto this obscure prophecy and just sort of...lost himself in it."

Green frowned. "What do you mean, 'lost himself'?"

"He just became obsessed. It was kind of sick, actually. The prophecy said that Vampires would no longer need to fear the sun. For someone who fancied himself Vampire royalty, that was pretty seductive." The words kept flowing out. She was afraid someone would stop her, and she needed to get her feelings out, if just a bit. "Anyway, my mother and I didn't feel like inviting a war with all of Tamriel, so we tried to stop him. That's why I was sealed away with the Scroll."

Serana watched his brow furrow, and Bran whined when he stopped being groomed. "You took a big risk coming here." Green had started to pace and was pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I know I did. But something about you makes me think I can trust you. I hope I'm not wrong."

Green stopped pacing and scratched his head before he glanced at Isran. When the Leader of the Dawnguard gave him a hard stare, he seemed to choose his words carefully.

"You're not. Now all we have to do is convince the others that you're on our side."

Serana rolled her eyes. "Well, let's move, then. I'm nothing if not persuasive."

Green turned to speak to Isran, but before he could open his mouth, the other man had started to speak.

"Alright, you've heard what it has to say. Now tell me, is there any reason I shouldn't kill this bloodsucking fiend right now?"

Green crossed his arms, and his green eyes flashed dangerously. "Put your hatred aside and try to see the bigger picture, Isran."

Isran raised an eyebrow. "Put my hatred aside? Not a chance. It's what keeps me strong."

Green sighed. "You don't trust her, fine. Trust me. I believe her."

Isran glared at the two of them so hard that Serana thought fire would shoot out of his eyes. "You'd better know what you're doing. It can stay for now, but if it so much as lays a finger on anyone here, I'll hold you responsible. Got it?" He turned to Serana, that same fire in his eyes. "You hear me? Don't feel like a guest, because you're not. You're a resource. You're an asset. In the meantime, don't make me regret my sudden outburst of tolerance and generosity, because if you do, your friend here is going to pay for it."

Serana had fire in her too. "Thank you for your kindness. I'll remember it the next time I'm feeling hungry."

She huffed and then turned to Green, who was petting Bran and staring at her at the same time. "So, in case you didn't notice the giant thing on my back, I brought the Elder Scroll with me. Whatever it says, hopefully it will have something that can help us stop my father." Then she groaned. "But of course, neither of us can read it."

"Who _can_ read it?" Green asked her.  
"Well, the Moth priests are the only ones I heard of that can do it. They spend years preparing before they start reading, though. Not that it helps us anyway, because they're all half a continent away. In Cyrodiil."

"Some Imperial scholar arrived in Skyrim a few days ago. I was staking out the road when I saw him pass by. Maybe he's your Moth Priest." Isran interrupted.

"Do you know where he is now?" Serana asked.

Isran crossed his arms. "No, and I'm not going to waste men looking. We're fighting a war against your kind, and I intend to win it. You want to find him, try talking to anyone who'd met a traveler. Innkeepers and Carriage drivers in the big city, maybe. But you're on your own." Isran glared at both of them, even Bran, and then marched out of the room without another word to either of them.

"Any idea how you're going to find a Moth Priest? Skyrim is a pretty big place." Serana said after a moment, to break the silence.

Green sat down on a chair (one that managed to not be covered in blood), and sighed. "Where would a Moth Priest actually go?"

"Well, back before I...you know, the College of Winterhold would be where I'd think to look for any magical or historical thing. The wizards know all kinds of things that people probably shouldn't know about."

Green scratched his head, obviously thinking hard. "That could work. I…well, let's just say I'm on pretty good terms with the Arch-Mage."

Serana suspected there was something he wasn't telling her, but there was little she could do about it. "Actually, now that I think about it... I'm going to come along with you." When he raised an eyebrow at her, she elaborated. "I've been really wanting to get out and explore a bit. Besides, I don't think your friends here really want me around." There was something else, too. Something below the surface. But Serana didn't want to face it, so she pushed it back down into the cold.

Bran barked and started to lick Serana's hand again. Green laughed. "All right. You can come with. Just don't make me look bad."  
"Deal."

"This must be that beautiful Skyrim weather I've always heard about."

Green groaned. "It's the weather. Deal with it, woman."

Serana rolled her orange eyes and pulled her hood over her head once again.

They were currently on their way to Dragon Bridge, where Hulda, the innkeeper at The Bannered Mare, had pointed them after a coin purse had been added to her inventory. The road to the College of Winterhold had been blocked by a Stormcloak barricade, so the way there was off-limits for the time being.

Bran panted after the carriage that they were riding in and barked a few times to show his enthusiasm.

"Maybe it wasn't a good idea to let him ride outside the cart." Serana said.

Green shrugged. "He couldn't stay still in this thing. Besides, as soon as he starts to fall behind, I'll get him back up here." As he spoke, Green moved his knapsacks (he had two) out of the way and made room for the dog. When he beckoned, the husky jumped into the cart and promptly fell asleep.

"How do you fit everything you need into those two measly bags?" Serana demanded.

Green chuckled and waved his hands, which glowed in blue light. "Magic."

She sighed and looked through her own bag for a book, before she stopped and sighed. Green hadn't seen her pack any.

She looked up to ask him if he had any books, since she had seen him pack a bunch of novels into one of his bags, but he was already ahead of her.

Green held out a book titled A Dream of Sovngarde. "Here," he said. "I know it's kind of short, but I think you'll like it."

She glanced at him suspiciously, but took the book all the same.

Green took a moment to ask the carriage driver a few questions as she read. "How far do you reckon we are?"

The carriage driver — a man they had paid heavily at an Inn — merely shrugged. "A few minutes, at least." His Nord accent was thick.

"And you won't tell anyone that you gave us passage?"

"No, sir."

"Good lad."

Serana frowned and threw the book back in Green's face. "That is one of the most depressing things I have ever read."

"What are you talking about? This man gives us one of the clearest descriptions of Sovngarde ever heard." Green snatched the book off the ground and hugged it protectively to his chest.

Serana raised an eyebrow. "You're not a Nord."

"You're right. I'm an Imperial. That doesn't mean I can't believe in Talos or Sovngarde."

Serana rolled her eyes. Green had briefly filled her in on the legend of Talos, and frankly she found it a little hard to believe. But he was entitled to his opinion, and so was she.

Suddenly the cart stopped.

"We're here," the carriage driver said.

"So you haven't seen the Moth Priest either?" Green pinched the bridge of his nose.

"No, sorry." Azzada Lylvieve said. "I don't even know what a Moth Priest is!"

Green waved his hand in dismissal. "It's fine, it's fine. You're only the fifth person today to say the same thing."

Serana glanced around Dragon Bridge as they spoke. Everything was so different than when she was locked away. Was it possible that the sun was brighter as well? Because she had her black hood drawn low over her face and she _still_ felt like she was boiling alive.

She looked around the settlement for some shade, and found some right by the famed Dragon Bridge. She glanced at Green. Surely he would mind if she just walked over and sat for a moment? She was certainly of no help at the moment.

When Serana was sure that Green was alright, she began to walk to the shade. As she approached, she began to feel just a bit woozy, and her stomach growled with hunger. She wondered if they would have time to stop at the local inn for food before they rushed off to wherever they would go next. So far the lead they'd gotten from Hulda turned out to be a dead end.

Suddenly Serana was able to make out a small figure crouched in the shade of the large tree. Two of them, actually. One appeared to be a little boy and the other...was a goat.

She wasn't very good with children, having little to no childhood of her own to look back on. But it was too late to turn back, because the boy was already waving to her.

"Hi! Are you a soldier? Someday I'm going to be a soldier!"

Serana shook her head and smiled. "No, I'm not a soldier."

The boy cocked his head at her. "Are you sure?"

Serana opened her mouth to respond before she realized that she wasn't, so she switched to the default conversation for the day. "Have you seen a Moth Priest recently?"

The boy frowned. "I don't know what a Moth Priest is, but…I did see an old man in a robe not too long ago. He was riding in a wagon with some Imperial guards. They didn't stop to visit, though."

Serana felt herself jump with excitement. That had to be the Moth Priest they were looking for!

"Where did they go…?"

"Clinton."

"Where did they go, Clinton?"

Clinton seemed to think for a minute. "They rode through town, heading south, and went across the big bridge. It was only just a little bit ago. I bet you could catch them if you hurry up."

Serana thanked the boy and turned back to find Green, but he was already behind her, looking impressed. Really close behind her. She scrambled away, feeling annoyed. Did Green still not trust her? Why did he feel the need to make sure she didn't eat anyone?

"I came over to see how you were doing," Green said, seemingly reading her thoughts. "Are you alright? Nice job, by the way."

With those few sentences, Serana felt strange. The last time someone had asked if she was alright, and came to check on her had been…too long ago. Yet this vampire hunter seemed to care more than any of her two parents did. He even gave her praise. Odd.

Green was still waiting for a reply, and Serana realized she had been staring.

"Thanks," she said. "Clinton said that the Moth Priest went that way not too long ago." She pointed over the Dragon Bridge.

"Excellent." Green said, looking at the bridge. "Come on, let's go."

It didn't take long to cross the bridge. When they were over, however, Green held out a hand to stop her, seemingly sniffing the air. That was strange enough by itself, but then his green eyes lit up with alarm.

"Crap," he said. "The wagon was hit."

He started running, and Serana found herself staring once again at him even as she ran after him. How could he possibly know that?

Then the smell hit her.

Blood.

And then the downed wagon came into sight, and Serana stopped in her tracks, nearly crashing into Green.

The cart had been knocked onto its side, crushing an Imperial soldier beneath it. Blood stained the ground red, and more soldiers were strewn about the place. The only evidence of vampiric interference was one dead vampire, with a note sticking out of her armor's pocket. Green picked it up and read it quickly before passing it to Serana.

 _I have new orders for you._

 _Prepare an ambush just south of the Dragon Bridge. Take the Moth Priest to Forebear's Hideout for safekeeping until I can break his will._

 _\- Malkus_

Well, that was not good.

Forebear's Hideout was covered in blood. Green could smell it. Perks of being a Werewolf.

He knew Serana already suspected something was up, but he wouldn't tell her. He couldn't. For one, he knew Vampire's opinions of Werewolves were already low. A vampire-hunting werewolf? She would hate him for sure.

He wasn't sure why he cared so much.

Sure, he needed her to stop Harkon. She was a good fighter and knew how the vampires thought.

But even through the small amount of time they had spent together, there was a bond. Green knew it well. It was the sort of bond he and Violet had before they had argued, but…different. For one, Serana wasn't his sister. But they had fought together, bled together. That meant something. Companionship.

"Green?" Serana whispered. "Are you going to do something, or just sit there all day?"

 _Right_ , Green thought. _Vampires. Moth Priest. Focus._

He drew the crossbow from his back and entered the cave, staying low to avoid making too much of a sound. Serana followed suit. Bran stayed outside the cave, standing watch.

The inside of the cave reeked of blood and sweat, and he glanced at Serana to see how she was doing. He knew she hadn't fed recently, but she seemed unaffected by the smell of someone's life force covering the inside of the cave.

He, however, was having a harder time.

 _Hunt_ , the wolf whispered to him. _We must hunt._

Green pushed the impulse down. Hard. He had to stay focused.

He held his breath as the full glory of the cavern came into view. It seemed as if someone had built a castle and then buried it there to rot. He saw Death Hounds prowling nearby, and Thralls and Vampires on the parapets and inside what was probably meant to be a courtyard. There had to have been at least twenty of them.

This was going to be easy.

Green took the crossbow and shot one of the guarding Death Hounds in the head. When its partner came to investigate, he shot it too. Then he turned his attention to the Thrall walking the parapet and shot him as well.

He reached for another bolt, then found he was empty. He cursed. He knew he should have restocked before heading out again. He had even left his spare bow at home, convinced that he wouldn't need it.

"Idiot," he cursed himself.

Serana elbowed him and gestured for him to be quiet as she drew her dagger. He really needed to find her a different weapon.

They charged the castle, and the vampires rushed to respond. One by one the enemy fell, whether from Serana's dagger or Dawnbreaker, it mattered little. Slowly, they diminished in number, until the five remaining vampires ran upstairs to where blue light was glowing.

Serana raced to follow them, but Green stopped her. He needed to take a breath. The wolf wanted out, and the more he fought, the harder it was to refuse it.

"Are you alright?" She asked him, concern lacing her voice.

Green took a deep breath and nodded. He _needed_ to get a handle on this.

They followed the vampires up the stairs, and came face to face with one of the strangest sights he had ever seen.

The Moth Priest stood in the middle of a glowing blue circle, clutching his head like he was going insane. Nearby, a tall vampire that _streamed_ violence stood, his arm outstretched, eyes closed. That had to be Malkus. The five remaining vampires surrounded him, their weapons drawn.

They attacked Green and Serana, and they fought back to back like they had done it a million times before.

Green thought this was strange. The only other person he had felt comfortable in battle with had been his sister, and Serana was quite different that Violet, in more than just fighting style.

He was forced out of his thoughts as a desperate vampire lunged for him with a rusty iron sword. Green sliced the Vampire's neck open, but not before the beast stabbed him in the weakest part of his armor.

Green cried out in pain, and Serana turned and killed the last vampire, before leaning down by him to make sure he was okay. He waved her off. He'd had worse. Granted, only one worse, but it mattered little. He would survive.

Finally Malkus turned from the Moth Priest and raised an eyebrow as Serana helped Green stand.

"Serana, Serana," he _tsk_ ed. "You should know better."

Before either of them could react, Malkus waved his hand, and Green went flying, crashing into the stone wall behind the vampire with a massive _thud!_ that shook the whole cavern.

"Green!" Serana exclaimed.

Malkus drew his sword before she could do anything, and suddenly the small elven dagger she held seemed pitiful without a partner to back her up. She really needed to get a better weapon.

Green lifted his head to look at Malkus backing Serana into a corner.

 _Hunt_.

No!

 _To save the girl, we must hunt._

Green hesitated, and that was all the invitation the wolf needed.

Meanwhile, Serana was barely holding her own against Malkus, managing to send a frost spike or two once in a while to keep him at bay, but she couldn't perform any of the more useful or complicated spells while he kept attacking her.

 _What a stupid way to die_ , she thought.

 _ROOOOOOOAAAAAAR_!

The sound of a wolf howling filled the cavern, and, as if on cue, Malkus and Serana turned in unison to see a massive wolf on two legs, where Green had been lying. It was massive, probably the size of two large men. Its dark fur rippled over the muscles. Long black claws extended from its giant hands, capable of ripping a man apart in seconds.

Understanding dawned in Serana when she saw the scattered and bent armor pieces lying around the werewolf.

Green, now in wolf form, charged Malkus and threw him across the room, where he slammed into another stone wall. While the vampire was dazed, Green lifted his claws and ripped Malkus apart.

Serana looked away. As much as she hated Malkus, she disliked how…overzealous Green was being.

Green turned back to her, blood staining his muzzle. Slowly, he approached, his tail moving slowly.

Serana had seen that kind of behavior before, in the vicious Death Hounds that stalked her father's castle.

Okay, maybe that wasn't Green.

The Wolf prowled closer, a deep growl resonating from the back of its throat. Serana raised her dagger…

The Wolf reached out a paw and hit itself across the face, almost like it was slapping itself. It was the most human action Serana had seen so far.

The Wolf staggered away, its body shrinking and shedding fur so fast that if Serana had blinked, she would have missed it.

Then Green was back, wearing nothing but his trousers, now stained with blood. He was bleeding from a wound in his side profusely, and he groaned.

Serana rushed to his side, but he scrambled away from her.

"Away!" His voice cracked. "It might come back." Was that fear she saw in his eyes?

"Hey," Serana said, sitting on her haunches and putting her hand out, as if she were calming a rabid animal. "It's okay. I'm here. You're okay."

Green closed his eyes and rubbed his face, his muscles slowly relaxing. "I'm sorry." His voice came out muffled.

Serana frowned. "Sorry?"

"I didn't want you to see that." Green's hands dropped from his face, and his eyes were just as filled with fear as before.

She hesitated, then touched his knee to calm him. "It's alright."

He cocked his head at her. "I almost attacked you."

Serana smiled, which seemed to calm him further. "But you didn't. You stopped yourself. That's what's important."

Green nodded once. He tried to stand, but slipped, so Serana grabbed his hand and hauled him to his feet.

Then she realized that he was very, very shirtless.

She looked away and looked for a cloak, anything, to cover him with, but there wasn't one that hadn't been ripped to shreds.

 _Moth Priest_ , she thought. _Focus!_

She walked over to Malkus' shredded body and grabbed a strange glowing stone, covered in blood. Green watched her warily. He seemed more unstable than usual, but he sorted through the ruins of his armor and retrieved his crossbow and Dawnbreaker all the same. He looked sort of ridiculous with his weapons and no shirt on, but he didn't seem to care.

"That must control the forcefield," he said, gesturing towards the glowing blue light in front of them.

"I think the control is up there." Serana agreed. "Do you want to, or should I?"

He looked at the blood on the stone, and a dark look crossed his face. "You can."

Serana climbed the stairs and looked at the small pedestal she had seen. There was a small slot approximately the size of the small stone she held in her hand. It seemed fairly straightforward.

The stone slid in smoothly, and suddenly the cavern was filled with a shaking sound as the stones that constituted the forcefield receded.

There was silence for a solid second before the Moth Priest's voice rang out in the chamber.

"But my master is dead, and his enemies will pay!"

 _Oh, come on!_ Green thought, lifting Dawnbreaker. They would have to beat him into submission. But how, without any permanent injuries?

He stepped forward, and his foot hit a large wooden stick on the ground.

Perfect.

 **Okay, this was one of those chapters where I left some stuff out (like a little bit about Dexion the Moth Priest at the end), so if you guys want me to add more, I will. This was also a longer chapter, which I enjoy writing. Sorry, for those of you who don't like those.**

 **Also, I've noticed that you people are terrible at reviewing, which I don't blame you for. The video game section of this site doesn't get much traffic as the others. But _please_ review. I need it to boost my ego.**


	6. Chapter 5

**Hey, so no promises on how fast I update this week (not that anybody is reading this or anything) because I was _supposed_ to work on my homework today but my family insisted on watching the _Lord of the Rings_ so that took most of the day. I go back to school on wednesday, so this week might be a bit busy.**

 **Anyways...**

 **I own nothing, etc etc.**

* * *

Violet came to a stop outside Helgen. She had not been here in a long, long time. But there was someone there that she needed to see.

Marcurio followed close behind her, panting just slightly. It appeared that his days of waiting in the Bee and the Barb for a hirer had left him out of shape. Violet wasn't sure what to think of him, yet. Sure, she could use an extra hand for what she needed to do. She just didn't know if she could trust him yet.

The only person she had ever really trusted was her brother. But now he was gone, and it was her fault.

The guilt tried to chew on her insides again, but she pushed it down. She had a job to do.

Violet raised her hand to knock on the door of Helgen, but Marcurio stopped her, grabbing her arm.

"Um…do you know what kind of people live there now?"

Violet rolled her eyes and shook free of the mage's grip. "Thieves, smugglers, bandits, gossipers, assassins, and others that were not accepted in Riften. That about cover it?"

"Don't forget serial killers," Marcurio muttered as she knocked. She pretended not to hear him.

After a few moments, the doors opened, revealing an assortment of unsavory people that Violet recognized from several bounties. Maybe later.

She forced herself to smile, hoping it looked natural. "I'm here to see Naldo."

The miscreants looked at each other, and then at the pair of people by the gate. Finally, they stepped aside.

Marcurio followed Violet inside cautiously. He had heard of the "Horror of Helgen," of course, but he had never seen the damage for himself.

All around, houses were in ruins, burned beyond repair, although the bandits had certainly tried. Misshapen boards and bricks tried to cover the roofs and walls, but to no avail.

The people themselves were even more mismatched. He saw several assassins watching them and grew uncomfortable. Nearby, thieves clearly marked by their armor stared at Violet's bulging knapsack, and the bandits seemed to be looking for more.

Marcurio sidled up to Violet, trying to stay close. But he wasn't scared. Of course not.

"Who's Naldo?" He whispered to her.

She glanced at him once before taking a turn past the ashes of a house. "He's probably the most well-informed man in all of Skyrim. If you need information about something or someone, he's the orc you should see."

Marcurio's brow furrowed. "What do we need information about?"

Violet didn't answer him.

As they walked, he realized that she needed no direction, walking quickly through the rubble. It was almost like she had been there before…

Violet led him to the keep, where several heavy-armored bandits waited.

"Naldo," she said, when one of them raised a furry eyebrow.

They nodded and opened the doors for her, allowing Marcurio to follow with little more than a glare in his direction.

They didn't have to walk far. After just a small hallway, they came face to face with the most well-informed man in Skyrim.

Except…he wasn't a man. He was an Orc.

Naldo was a large Orc with dark green skin and tusks longer than Marcurio's dagger. He wore clothes more expensive than anything Marcurio owned, and he did not look happy. Behind him, two trolls stood on chains, growling menacingly.

"Ah, Violet." Naldo said. "How nice to see you."

"Have we met?" The woman asked him, crossing her arms. Marcurio saw her fingers twitch.

"No, but I've heard many things about you. After all, you did save all of Tamriel." Naldo smirked. "Where's your brother?"

Violet physically flinched, and Marcurio saw her hands head for her sword for a split second before she stopped herself. "You must know what I'm here for, then."

"Indeed." Naldo said. "Sit, sit, and I'll tell all."

Marcurio sat in the chair next to Violet's hesitantly. He did not trust the Orc, and checked his seat for any hidden traps or poisons before he sat down. And what was that he said about Violet saving Tamriel? What in the name of Talos did that mean?

"The man you're looking for, Green, has been seen in the company of a vampire," Naldo started. "As far as where they're going and what they're doing, I have no clue."

"But you know everything!" Violet protested. "Surely you have some idea."

"I do, but none of them are good." Naldo began cleaning his nails with a dagger. "Maybe Green wants the vampire to turn him. Maybe he's being paid to kill her, I have no clue."

Green. Where had Marcurio heard that name before? It sounded familiar. Maybe he had heard it in the tavern?

"So you're saying you have no idea where he is." Violet scowled and began to stand. "Well, thanks for nothing, Naldo."

"Wait!" The Orc said, stopping her. "I don't know where he is, but I know of something that he might be interested in. It could lead you to him."

She stared suspiciously at him and sat back down. "Alright, you have my attention. Now spill, or I walk and you don't get paid."

As soon as Violet was seated, Naldo started speaking. "There are rumors of a man in Falkreath who turned into a beast and slayed a child."

Violet nodded. "I've heard of that."

"Ah, but what you probably didn't know was that he had a cursed ring on his finger at the time. Supposedly, it was a gift from Hircine that allowed a werewolf to control their transformation."

Violet straightened in her seat. "Really? Green would definitely be interested in that. How do you know he isn't headed there now?"

Naldo shrugged. "I don't, but the Falkreath guards have been trying hard to keep the incident hidden. I suppose it doesn't look good for their hold." He scoffed. "Milk-drinkers."

Violet nodded and pulled out a coin purse, placing it on the desk in front of Naldo. "Thank you. You won't tell anyone where I'm going?"

"Of course not. You know I don't tattle on my clients."

Marcurio stifled a scoff, but a small cough did escape his mouth, drawing Naldo's attention to him for the first time.

"Marcurio Stagshot. I know you." Naldo turned his eyes on the young mage, and suddenly his eyes went milky white.

Marcurio started to panic. He had seen that kind of magic once before, and it hadn't ended well for him.

Naldo's voice took on a different tone, one that was sounded as if a thousand voices were speaking at once.

 _"Son of Stag and Son of Stone_

 _When you find all your courage gone_

 _A woman will help you, but beware_

 _For this wolf with yellow eyes_

 _Will herald where your doom lies_

 _And when you're gone, and swept away_

 _She will find to her great dismay_

 _That her doom was feelings un-threadbare."_

Naldo's eyes returned to normal and he slouched in his chair. The trolls behind him started to thrash in their chains, but then they calmed when their master looked up at Violet and Marcurio.

Marcurio stood so fast that his chair went flying and crashed into the wall. "What the hell was that?"

"My apologies," Naldo said, rubbing his face. "I did not mean for that to happen."

"What do you mean?" Violet asked. She looked almost as disturbed as Marcurio.

"I'm a seer, you see. Sometimes the prophecies come in rhymes, and sometimes just words," The orc said. "The gift got me kicked out of my tribe, so I used it to find people."

"And foresee their deaths!" Marcurio protested.

Naldo nodded his head in an apology. "I would not read too much into that prophecy. In my experience, they are never what they seem."

 _Famous last words_ , Marcurio thought.

"Come on," Violet said, grabbing his arm. "We're done here."

"Done?" Marcurio demanded in a hoarse whisper as they left. "What do you mean, 'done?' He just predicted my death!"

"Alleged death," she corrected, dragging him past the bandit guards at the entrance to the keep.

"And that's better how?"

"Listen," Violet growled, pulling him into the alley next to the keep. "I don't like this anymore than you do. But if you don't shut up about being a dead man, then someone is going to try to rob us!"

"Funny that you mention that," a rough voice said from the back of the dark alley.

The owner of the voice stepped forward, revealing a large man with shiny steel armor holding a giant greatsword. Behind him, five more men followed.

"Now give us all your belongins right quick and nobody will get hurt." The man in the shiny armor said.

"Like that!" Violet sighed, practically ignoring the bandits. "See what you've done, Marcurio?"

"How is this my fault?!"

" _'He just predicted my death!'_ " She spoke in a poor imitation of his voice.

"He did!"

"ENOUGH!" The Bandit Leader said, taking another step. "Are y'all deaf? I _said_ -"

"FUS!"

The Bandit Leader flew backwards into the wall of the alley, slamming into the bricks with a loud _thud!_

The other bandits stared at Violet, who had just _shouted_ their leader into a wall. They began to draw their swords, but Marcurio raised his hands and a whirlwind of fire was unleashed on the thieves. The ones that survived ran out of the alley with their clothes on fire, screaming in fear. Others watched this with amusement.

Marcurio gaped at Violet. "You're Dragonborn."

The woman rolled her eyes at him. "What gave it away?"

She started searching the bandits' bodies for anything useful, and after a moment Marcurio did the same.

Suddenly it all made sense. Naldo had said she had saved the world because she actually _had!_ But the legends were a touch confusing…

"B-but I thought the Dragonborn was a man. That's what the legends say."

At this, Violet actually sent a glare that made him shiver. "Well, the legends are only half right. _One_ of the Dragonborn is a man. The other was me. And guess who we're going to find?"

Marcurio's eyes widened.

"That's right. We're going to find my brother - the _other_ Dragonborn."

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 **Please review. I didn't get any for the last chapter, and now I'm suddenly self-conscious. But seriously, reviews help me check for spelling and stuff like that. I really do appreciate it.**

 **Warning: Next chapter is sorta angst-y and I don't know if I like it.**


	7. Chapter 6

**So this chapter is sort of short, and I'm sorry for that. But I have to study for exams (yay.) and I couldn't really add more to it.**

 **I own nothing, blah blah blah.**

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"Dashing," Serana snorted.

"Shut up," Green crossed his arms.

They had managed to find him a threadbare tunic, buying it off of one of the Solitude Guards. His trousers were still bloodstained, and that tended to raise questions, so they were forced to travel through the uncivilized parts of Skyrim. So far, it had gone well. They had made it to the Rift without much incident. That was definitely a good thing, considering that Green had no armor left.

Now they came to a stop in the morning, for Serana's sake. Green knew that the sun physically hurt her, so he recommended that they start traveling at night. She seemed surprised by his thoughtfulness. He was too, if he was being honest. They were stopped in a small clearing, and on the way, Green had managed to tear his shirt even further.

Bran sat down on the grass and immediately fell asleep. Green chuckled and leaned down to roll out his bedroll, and winced. A glance down at his shirt told him what he needed to know.

"You're bleeding." Serana said, concern in her voice once again.

He grunted and sat down heavily on the ground. He must have torn the wound in his side open while they traveled. The pain started to reach him then.

"Is it possible for the wound to hurt more now than it did when I got it?"

Serana's glowing orange eyes widened. "Your wound is infected."

Green winced as he felt the cut in his side. "How do you know?"

"My mother taught me a few things about medicine as well as alchemy," Serana said, crouching down by him and opening her pack to pull out fresh bandages and an assortment of herbs. "Now lie down. I need to treat the wound."

Green did as he was told, but he knew he needed to talk or else he would lose his mind. "Your mother taught you alchemy?"

Serana nodded as she poured something onto the fresh bandage. "Among other things."

She lifted up his shirt to reveal the soiled bandage and winced. The area around the bandage was an ugly red, and she hadn't even seen the actual wound yet. Green was going to love this.

"Were you and your mother close?" He suddenly asked her.

Serana paused in the middle of cutting away his bandage, but just for a moment. She hadn't expected him to care. Green was surprising her in many ways.

"Before my father became obsessed with the prophecy, my mother and I spent quite a bit of time together," she started, wary of how much she told him. They had fought together, sure, but did that mean that she could trust him with her bitterness? She started simple. "She was very fond of her alchemical garden in our courtyard. She taught me quite a bit about cultivating quality reagents."

The soiled bandage was gone now, and Green hissed at the cold air on his skin. Serana winced for him. The cut was definitely infected, the skin forming an angry red ring around the wound. Yellow pus leaked out, and she stifled a gag.

"So you always got along?" Green asked. His teeth were clenched, and Serana realized that he needed to keep talking or he would pass out.

Serana answered honestly. "Like the best of friends. I would never hesitate to share anything with her."

Green nodded, though his eyes were closed, as she took a clean rag and began cleaning the wound. "But then everything changed."

"It was very sudden," Serana agreed. Was that her imagination, or did her voice actually crack with emotion? "It was like one day we were a normal family and the next…the next I didn't know who they were. I'd try to visit my mother in the garden, and she'd quickly shoo me away, saying she was much too busy. Can you sit up?"

Green complied, dragging himself up into a sitting position. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, Serana hadn't decided yet) that brought him very close to her. Even more unfortunate (or maybe fortunate), she needed him to be close so she could wrap the new bandage around him. She kept talking to distract herself as she took the treated bandage and wrapped it around his chest, which brought them even closer.

"My mother saw me more like a protege than a daughter. I wasn't close with my father." She looked up at him and saw that he was nearly passed out. She needed to keep him awake. "What about you? What were your parents like?" Surprisingly, she wanted to know the answer.

Green swallowed, and pain flashed across his features, and somehow Serana knew it wasn't from the wound in his side. "I never knew them. I grew up alone, on the streets of Cyrodiil."

Instantly she could relate. In many ways, she had felt like she had never known her parents either. "I know how that feels." When he looked at her, she elaborated. "I mean…I know it isn't the same thing. But I was a pretty lonely child myself."

"Do you still feel lonely?"

The question took her by surprise, and she looked up at him, meeting his eyes.

That was a mistake. It was like some other vampire had enthralled her, and she found that she didn't mind it. He was staring intently at her, curious.

"Not as much," she coughed. She realized quickly that she had forgotten his bandages some time ago and returned to them, wrapping and tying them more clumsily than she should have. She scooted away as soon as she was done.

Was that disappointment she saw in his eyes? More importantly, was that disappointment that she felt in herself?

It was then that she realized that for the first time in a long time…she didn't feel cold.

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 **Please review! I'm still trying to work the kinks out of this, so anything helps.**


	8. Chapter 7

**So I have noticed that for some reason, FanFiction is not recognizing my bold print, or the things I use to recognize a time change (you know, the little "x x x" stuff?). I apologize if that has messed some of you up. I'm pretty frustrated by it myself.**

 **ALSO**

 **I have exams this week at school, and I have to study _hard_. I have been procrastinating on doing it, and it needs to happen so that I can graduate at some point. Yay.**

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Marcurio had only ever been in Falkreath once. Like most things in his life, that experience had not ended particularly well. He was determined to make this visit better.

Of course, like most of the things in his life, he didn't have control over that.

He had been in a sour mood for most of the carriage ride to the town, thinking about the prophecy that Naldo had given. Violet told him not to worry about it, but how could he not? He didn't understand how she could be so calm about a possible prediction of his death. Did she really think that little of him?

It didn't seem like it. At least, not all the time. If he was being honest with himself, he was still trying to figure out what kind of person she was.

Sometimes she was mean. Downright despicable, actually. She would frequently call him names and insult him when he did something wrong. To be perfectly fair, he gave as much as he got, which undoubtedly didn't help matters much.

Other times, Violet was kind. When he did something right, she would praise him. She would help others whenever she could, even if it took them on a little bit of a detour. She would always give a generous amount to the beggars that lined the roads. Often, she would help Marcurio with his bags, even if she did grumble a bit about it.

Overall, it was very strange.

They arrived in Falkreath one week after visiting Naldo in Helgen. Violet paid the carriage driver their fee and began to unload the cart they had ridden in, and Marcurio helped her. It was one of the few moments where she complimented him, so he was happy to help.

Wait.

Why did he care?

No matter. He had other, more important things to worry about. Like saving his own hide.

"Stop thinking about it." Violet interrupted his thoughts, handing a bag to him.

"Thinking about what?" Marcurio asked.

"The prophecy."

He sighed and took the last bag from her. He offered her a hand to help her climb down from the cart, but she ignored it and jumped down, spraying dust all over their trousers.

"I can't." Marcurio dusted himself off. "It's all I _can_ think about."

"Well, don't." Violet said simply. "It's simple. If the prophecy predicts your death, don't let it get to you. If it doesn't get to you, it doesn't distract you, and you won't die. I've seen how you are in a fight."

He let himself feel a little pride. Of course, he knew he could handle himself in battle, but to hear someone else say it was just icing on the cake.

He shouldered his pack, and she shouldered hers, and together they walked into Falkreath.

It was just as un-impressive as he remembered. The buildings were well-built, he would give them that, but they were far too small for his liking. It made the whole town seem claustrophobic. The buildings were covered in dirt and grime and the people were too.

Oh, and the place reeked of death. There was that, too.

It made sense, in a way. Falkreath was, essentially, a giant burial ground. From what Marcurio understood, many battles had been fought in the Hold, and many burials had come as a result. The morticians were still busy, with the civil war reaching a breaking point.

Violet drew her hood over her face when the guards began to stare at her. She didn't mind saving the world. She did mind the attention that came with it afterwards. In a way, it was nice that Marcurio hadn't known up until a week previous. He hadn't worshipped her like some of her other followers had, and he still didn't. So in a way, she was grateful.

She didn't tell him that, though. It would detract from the mission.

They headed straight for the barracks, but as they walked, a question occurred to her.

"Marcurio," Violet said. "What was your mother's maiden name?"

He looked at her, confused. "Stonewall. Why?"

 _Son of Stag and Son of Stone._

 _Crap._

"No reason."

Marcurio stared at her. "You told me not to think about the prophecy!"

Violet nodded. "You're right. I told _you_ not to worry about the prophecy. That doesn't mean _I_ can't."

Not that she was worried about him. She wasn't!

She could practically hear Marcurio smirking as they reached the barracks, but she ignored him. _Focus_.

The inside of the barracks was a mess, but she had expected that. Guards tended to slack off wherever they could, whether through their duties or through their cleanliness. The two guards inside the barracks didn't even pay them any attention as they entered the basement - the jail.

Surprisingly, the jail was a lot better taken care of than the barracks. They must have had a good maid, or maybe the guards were more vigilant. Better to not take the risk.

Violet could smell the man nearby. He stank of sweat and shame and…flowers?

She looked to her left, and saw probably the most well-fortified cell…ever. And she had been in quite a few, so she would know. The cell seemed to be built at the bottom of a well, with bars thicker than any she had ever seen.

And through them was a man.

He was clearly a Nord, with thick brown hair that reached down to his neck. He was shirtless and seemed to be injured. He looked up when Violet and Marcurio approached, and walked towards the bars.

"Come to gawk at the monster?" The man asked.

"Why are you imprisoned here?" Marcurio asked, sympathy dripping from his voice. This man seemed lost, hopeless. He had been there a few times himself.

The man's face took on an eve more hopeless look. "My name is Sinding. A little girl is dead because of me."

Violet cocked her head at the man. This was definitely who they were looking for. But where was the ring?

"Believe me, it wasn't anything I intended to do." Sinding explained. "I just…I just lost control."

That caught her attention. Hadn't Green said something similar hundreds of times? Sympathy rose from somewhere dark in her and took control.

"I-I tried to tell them, but none of them believed me." The man flashed his hand at them. "And it's all on account of this blasted ring!"

Sure enough, there on his finger was the very ring they were looking for.

Marcurio furrowed his brow. "What does that thing do? How is it responsible?"

Sinding shook his head in shame. "This is the Ring of Hircine. I was told it could help me control my transformations. Perhaps it used to. I'll never know. Hircine didn't care for my taking it, and threw a curse on it."

Violet frowned. "What kind of curse?"

Sinding looked away. "I-I put it on, and the changes just came to me! I could never guess when. It would be at the worse times!" His voice grew more distressed the more that he spoke. "Like with the little girl."

"What kinds of transformations?" Marcurio asked, though he already knew the answer.

"I don't suppose there's any point in keeping the secret if I'm going to die in here anyways. I am a werewolf. It is my secret. And my shame. That's why I wanted the ring. It was said to give men like me control."

 _If it doesn't work…what am I supposed to tell Green?_ Violet wondered. _He'd die of despair if he knew of this._

"What will you do now?" She asked the werewolf.

"I've been looking for a way to appease Hircine." Sinding's voice began to level out as he calmed down. "There is a certain beast in these lands. Large, majestic. It is said that Hircine will commune with whoever takes it. I tracked it into these woods, but then I had my…accident with the child." His voice cracked once. "I want to beg for his forgiveness and give him back the ring. But while I'm stuck here, the beast wanders free."

Violet's heart ached for this man. Was this how Green felt? Broken? Shameful? True, her brother had never slain a little girl, but his wolf half was hardly innocent.

The words were out before she could think about them. "I'll take the ring to Hircine."

Sinding was so surprised that he took a step back. "You would do this for me?"

Violet nodded.

"Here, take it. I don't want anything to do with this wretched thing anymore." He ripped the ring off of his finger and handed it to her through the bars.

Violet took it in her hand and tried to put it in her satchel, but it was like the ring possessed a mind of its own, and maybe it did. It spun around in her palm, slid up her fingers, and fastened itself around her index finger snugly. She tried to tug it off, but it would not move.

A stab of fear went through her. This thing would make her change randomly? And she would have no control?

She needed to leave. She needed to leave right that very moment.

Violet looked back up at Sinding, but the man had moved back to the center of the prison and was changing right before their eyes. Arms elongated, legs bent, and fur grew along with claws.

Werewolf indeed.

Sinding, now in his wolf form, looked once at Violet and Marcurio with his yellow eyes, then climbed up the wall and escaped.

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 **Please review, dudes. I get really paranoid when nobody reviews. (Especially because I'm not sure if I liked the previous chapter) Please, help me out. I'll beg if I have to!**


	9. Chapter 8

**Surprise! I managed to find like, thirty minutes of free time. Y'all should know that by being able to read this chapter, I have procrastinated once again on my studying!**

 **You were supposed to laugh at that.**

 **Oh, well. I don't own squat.**

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Isran and Dexion the Moth Priest were waiting for them when they got back. Thankfully, neither commented on Green's ratty appearance, or the fact that he looked paler than Serana. The only one in the room who actually looked happy was Bran, who bounded into the room with that happy grin on his face.

"I'm impressed you could find a Moth Priest so quickly." Isran said, though his arms were crossed and he looked completely unimpressed.

Green spoke casually, but Serana could tell from his posture that he was still in a fair amount of pain. "Does he have the scroll? Is everything ready?"

"For the reading? Yeah. Just let the old man know when you're ready."

Serana resisted a scoff. Dexion was no older than Isran, and she was older than both of them. By a lot.

Green turned to look at said Moth Priest, who was too busy gaping at the architecture of Fort Dawnguard to notice their arrival.

"Dexion." Green said.

Dexion either ignored him, or could not hear him.

"Dexion!" Green grit his teeth.

The Moth Priest jumped as if he had been shocked, realizing that they were there for the first time.

"Glad you made it here safely, Dexion." Green said, before the Moth Priest could zone out again.

"Ah, my rescuers!" Dexion exclaimed, gesturing between Green and Serana. "It's good to see you again."

Green glanced at Isran, who looked just as chipper as usual. "Have my companions made you feel welcome?"

Dexion shrugged. "It's not exactly the hospitality I'm used to, but your man Isran has seen to my needs well enough."

Green opened his mouth to speak, but Dexion interrupted him.

"And might I add, this is a remarkable fortress. I have colleagues at home that would love to study this place in detail."

Green was getting impatient. "Are you ready to read the Elder Scroll?"

Dexion's eyes lit up with excitement. "Oh, most certainly. Let's find out what secrets this scroll can tell." The Moth Priest pulled the Elder Scroll off of his back, where he must have stored it. "Now if everyone will be quiet, I must concentrate."

Dexion opened the Elder Scroll, and instantly Serana felt a strange power in the room. It was like something bigger than they were was watching them. She tried to listen to what Dexion said.

"I see a vision before me, a image of a great bow. I know this weapon! It is Auriel's Bow!" The priest hesitated, before continuing. "Now a voice whispers, saying, 'Among the night's children, a dread lord will rise. In an age of strife, when dragons return to the realm of men, darkness will mingle with light, and the night and day will be as one.'" Dexion started to sway, and if Serana was capable of moving she would have helped to support him. "The voice fades, and the words begin to shimmer and distort. But wait! There is more here. The secret of the bow's power is written elsewhere. I think there is more to the prophecy, recorded in other scrolls. Yes, I see them now. One contains the ancient secrets of the dragons, and the other speaks of the potency of ancient blood." Dexion stumbled, and Green moved to catch him. "My vision darkens, and I see no more."

Dexion sat heavily right there in the middle of the floor, and the power receded from the room.

"Are you alright?" Serana asked.

"I will be," Dexion responded. "To know the complete prophecy, we must have the other two scrolls. I must rest now. The reading has made me weary."

It was with a great effort that Serana and Green hauled the Moth Priest to his feet, and they watched him go, assisted by Isran, before anyone said anything.

"Do you have a moment to talk?" Serana was surprised to find that the voice belonged to her.

Green looked at her, concern in his eyes despite the fact that he looked as if he would drop dead at any moment. "What's on your mind?"

Serana led him over to one of the benches in the room before she said anything, more for his sake than hers. "It's…uh, it's Dexion. He said we needed two other Elder Scrolls. I think I knew where we can start looking."

"Why didn't you say something earlier?" Green asked her.

She scoffed. "Half the people in your little crew would just as soon kill me as talk to me. That doesn't exactly want to make me open up."

 _You did with me_ , Green thought, before he pushed the thought aside. He let her continue, leaning against the wall as he sat for support.

"I got a warmer welcome from my father, and that's saying something."

He felt himself straighten, despite the pain it caused him. She talked about her father even less than her mother. "What is it between you two?"

Serana seemed surprised, but just for a split second. "I…ever since he decided to make that prophecy his calling, we kind of drifted apart." She took a breath. "I don't even think he sees me as his daughter anymore. I'm just a…means to an end."

"I hope you don't feel that way here," Green said, before he realized how stupid a sentence that was. She was in a fort of _vampire hunters_ , of course she felt like that.

But then it was her turn to surprise him. "With you? No. With everyone else? Pretty much."

There was an awkward pause, and Green quickly changed the subject. "So where is this Elder Scroll?"

"We need to find my mother, Valerica." Serana said. It was as if the sentence physically pained her. "She'll definitely know where it is, and if we're lucky, she actually has it herself."

"You said you didn't know where she was." Green commented, remembering one of their earlier conversations.

"The last time that I saw her, she said that she'd go somewhere safe…somewhere that my father would never search. Other than that, she wouldn't tell me anything."

Was that regret in Serana's voice? Green couldn't tell. He decided he should comfort her either way, though. "It sounds like she was just being cautious."

Serana looked away. "Maybe." She looked back at him. "What I can't figure out is why she said it that way. Besides, I can't imagine a single place that my father would avoid searching. And he's had all this time, too. Any ideas?"

Green thought hard.

One time, when he was sixteen, he wanted to avoid the gang of ruffians that would commonly rough him up. So he picked the best hiding place he could think of: the stables where they usually hung out. It worked, and they didn't find him for a whole day. Then of course, there were other issues that arose…

He pushed the memory down. He couldn't afford to remember that right now.

"What about in Castle Volkihar?" Green said.

Serana looked at him like he was crazy for a solid second before understanding dawned in her eyes. "Wait…that almost makes sense! The courtyard in the castle - the one I told you about! All of the ingredients from our potions came from there. She used to say that my father couldn't stand the place. Too…peaceful."

Of course, he immediately began to doubt his decision. "Wouldn't that be pretty risky, staying around the castle?"

Serana laughed. "Oh, absolutely. But my mother's not a coward." She hesitated. "That is…I don't think we're actually going to trip over her there. But it's worth a look."

Green ran a hand through his hair. "They aren't going to let us use the front door."

"True. But I know a way we can get to the courtyard without arousing suspicion." She was smiling now. "There's an unused inlet on the northern side of the island that was used by the previous owners to bring supplies into the castle. An old escape tunnel from the castle exits there. I think that's our way in."

Her enthusiasm was contagious. Green found himself smiling as well. "Alright. Let's go to the castle's secret entrance."

He started to stand, but Serana put a cool hand on his chest and pushed him back down.

"Not so fast," she said. "You're still injured, and you haven't even gotten yourself replacement armor yet."

Green groaned. "But it's important!"

"So is your wellbeing!" Serana insisted.

"I knew you cared." Green teased.

She rolled her eyes. "Alright, get up. Is there a medic here somewhere?"

Green nodded and used the wall for support and winced as he stood. He began to fall over, but Serana caught him, keeping him upright. She removed her hands as soon as he was balanced.

Disappointed. Why was he disappointed?

Green coughed. "Medic is this way."

"Right. Of course."

 **x x x**

The cart ride was silent.

It was decided that Bran would be too loud on their secret journey, so Green had left the hound back at Fort Dawnguard. It was just him and Serana. Alone.

Well, at least there was the carriage driver. The...mute carriage driver.

 _Great_ , Green thought. _Maybe I'm not so great at keeping personal relationships._

He looked at Serana and then away. He had to say something. The silence was killing him.

"Were you always a vampire?" The words just slipped out.

Serana was so surprised by the sudden dialogue that she nearly fell out of her seat. "What?"

Green repeated the question, feeling like he was pushing his luck.

She blew out air, seemingly searching for an answer. "That's…a long story."

He smiled at her, just slightly, and he could have sworn he saw her muscles relax just a little bit. "I want to hear it."

Serana seemed to think for a moment. "I guess…we kind of have to go way back. To the very beginning. Do you know where vampirism came from?"

Green furrowed his brow in thought. He'd never thought much about it. "I would guess it came from a daedric lord."

"Exactly!" She confirmed. "The first vampire came from Molag Bal. She…was not a willing subject. But she was still the first. Molag Bal is a powerful daedric lord, and his will is made reality. For those willing to subjugate themselves, he will still bestow the gift, but they must be powerful in their own right before earning his trust."

He frowned. "Do you regret becoming a vampire?"

Serana visibly swallowed. "Nobody's ever asked me that before. I…I don't know. I think…mostly I hate what it's done to my family."

Green cocked his head at her. "How has it affected your family?" Growing up without any real parents, he was interested in any family, even if they were vampires bent on destroying the world. Well, one of them anyways.

Serana scoffed. "Well, you've met most of us. My father's not exactly the most stable, and eventually he drove my mother crazy with him. And it all ended with me being locked underground for who knows how long." She took a breath, seemingly to calm herself down. "It's definitely been a bad thing, on the whole."

Green felt concern growing in him like a tree. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "I will be. Just give me a little time."

Sensing that the conversation was ended, and satisfied that there actually had been one, Green closed his eyes and fell asleep.

 _Green opened the door to the blacksmithery tentatively. "Zecharias? I'm home." No response came. That was strange. "Zecharias?"_

 _Something in the forge smelled off. Green took a step forward to investigate and found a half-shaped sword formed. Zecharias would never do something like that. Something was wrong._

 _Then the smell hit him._

 _Blood._

 _Something crashed into him from behind, nearly knocking Green into the forge. He rolled over as something hard struck him across the face, drawing blood. The bandit on top of him punched him again, then dipped his free hand into a bottle of poison, drawing out three fingers dripping in green liquid. The bandit brought the dripping fingers to Green's face, and it took all of his will to keep the poison from going into his eye, but it wasn't enough. Fingers scraped across his face, and the poison burned and burned…_

"Green!"

Green snapped awake with a shout, nearly hitting Serana with a flailing arm.

He was sitting in the cart, which had rolled to a stop. The sun was just setting. Serana kneeled next to him, concern written across her face.

"Are you alright? You looked like you were having a nightmare."

Green took a deep breath, and then another. He hadn't dreamt of that disaster in quite some time. "I-I'm fine," he lied. "Where are we?"

He stood from his seat on the cart to examine their surroundings. They seemed to be near Solitude, but they were in the wrong location. They weren't anywhere near the stables, but in a forest. The carriage driver was nowhere to be seen, but his satchel was still there. Odd.

Serana followed his gaze. "That's what I woke you for. The driver wrote down on a piece of paper that he needed to relieve himself. That was thirty minutes ago. He hasn't come back yet."

Green felt himself tense. That was not a good sign. "Should we go look for him?"

She shot him a look that said, _Duh!_

He grabbed the hilt of his sword and jumped off the cart. It was a simple thing to smell the carriage driver nearby. Unfortunately, the sense of smell could only tell him so much. He didn't know if the carriage driver was simply drunk or if something terrible had happened. Green hoped it was the first.

They walked through the forest, following Green's sense of smell. Serana could have done the job just as well, but she was too busy being worried about multiple things.

Seeing her mother was a big concern. The last time Serana had seen Valerica, she had been locked in a tomb. And besides that, there was the matter of her damaged family. Granted, her father was a lunatic and her mother wasn't much better, but she still loved them. Making moves against either one of them seemed to physically hurt her where her heart was.

Obviously, she was worried about the carriage driver. What was his name? Marco. She was worried about Marco. The carriage driver was a year or two younger, maybe seventeen, but he reminded her a lot of herself when she was more…normal. She had been rather reserved back then, too.

And then there was the matter of her companion. She liked to think that she knew him better now, but there were still things that Green wasn't telling her. She wasn't sure why she cared. For example, she knew he'd had a nightmare. He kept muttering things like "Zechariah" and "murder" which was understandably very disconcerting. Just who was this "Zechariah?"

Now was not the time to ask about it. As they walked through the woods, Serana slowly recognized the scent on the air, one that was growing too familiar. Blood.

"Do you smell that?" She finally asked Green.

He nodded solemnly. "I have for a while."

 _That's not a good sign_ , Serana thought. The smell was almost overpowering now; luckily, she had some practice resisting her vampiric urges, otherwise she would have gone feral. She hadn't fed since before she was locked up. She had seen more powerful vampires than her go feral over less - which was yet another thing to worry about.

They approached a small clearing. It was a meadow where the nearby pine trees hung over, dropping needles down below. A stream flowed nearby. It would have been peaceful if it hadn't been the scene of a small massacre.

Blood flowed from a severed hand into the stream, tainting the water red. Serana looked away, and her eyes instead landed on the body of Marco, his neck ravaged and bleeding in small droplets, the majority of it having been drained. His legs were being passed around in a group of vampires like it was some kind of delicacy.

Serana was shaking with rage, but she found she could not move. The scene was so horrific, so ghastly. But it wasn't the first time she had seen it. This had been a common sight in Castle Volkihar, when one of the thralls for feeding reached the end of their usefulness. The sight had appalled her then, too.

Before she even knew what she was doing, she raised her hands, and a lightning bolt slammed into the nearest vampire, launching his body and the leg he was holding into the stream and sending the foul stench of burning flesh into the air.

The other vampires looked up in alarm, but Green shot two with his bow before any of them could move. Soon, there were only three left against two.

The three remaining vampires charged their attackers, but soon found that they were outmatched. Green fought them up close with Dawnbreaker, the light from the pommel flashing dangerously with each blow that he struck. Serana picked off the weakest of the three with more lightning, and when it came time for the last vampire to die it was unclear whether it was a lightning bolt or a slash from Dawnbreaker that killed them.

Green and Serana stood panting from equal exertion and fury in the middle of the clearing, blood staining the ground around them.

Serana was the first to speak. "I hate this."

Green turned to face her, trying not to look at the blood around them. Did she hate killing her brethren? He was confused. "Hate what?"

She clenched her fists. "I hate how callously vampires throw away others' lives. It's cruel. And I hate it."

Green knew her well enough by then that he wasn't surprised by her reaction.

He didn't know what to tell her. Don't worry, the Dawnguard will kill all the vampires so that they can't do this again. Oh, right. You're a vampire. Oops.

In fact, the more he learned about Serana, the more he was disliking the way Isran and the others viewed vampires: as lawless beasts. Surely, there were some good vampires like her out there?

He didn't want to think about that at the moment. So he started sorting through the bodies, until he found a head separated from the vampires.

"Marco," Green frowned. The boy had been silent but kind. A good person, as far as he could tell.

Serana watched him sort through the various severed appendages, and when she figure out what he was doing, she moved to help. As gruesome as it sounded, soon they had all of Marco gathered.

Green pulled a shovel from his pack and began to dig.

 _Why would he carry a shovel with him?_ Serana wondered. Then she realized that he must have had to bury a lot of friends to warrant carrying that tool around with him. A new respect for Green rose within her, and she helped him dig the grave as best as she could without a shovel.

An hour later, Marco was buried. They didn't have the materials to make a headstone, so instead they just laid down two sticks in the imitation of the symbol of Talos. Marco had worn a pendant around his neck.

"I don't like it either," Green finally said to her. He turned back to the cart. "And I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure it never happens again."

* * *

 **This was a rough chapter to write. I was stuck here for a few days - trying to figure out what to do next. I'm writing this all as I go, so if it is terrible, that is why.**

 **Oh, yeah. Begging.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW THIS STORY I NEED HELP AND I WARNED YOU I WAS GOING TO BEG SO PLEASE DO IT. PLEASE?**


	10. Chapter 9

Violet marched out of the Falkreath Barracks, trying her best not to look panicked, even though that was exactly how she was feeling. She could hear Marcurio following her, but she couldn't find it in herself to care.

She had to get out of Falkreath.

Before, she had never understood how Green had felt when he was about to transform. She had thought he was being ridiculous, and overdramatic. She had even made fun of him for it.

Now, though, she understood how he felt. She could feel the wolf on the edge of her consciousness, begging to be let out, to hunt. The wolf had been separated from her. Before, there had been no distinction. She was the wolf, and the wolf was her. But no longer.

She was out of the town and halfway to the wilderness before Marcurio stopped her, reaching out and grabbing her arm.

"Where are you going?"

Violet spun on him, the wolf stoking her anger. "I'm going away. I can't be near these people. I can't be near you!"

Marcurio frowned. This wasn't like her. She had always been the calm one. "Violet, what are you talking about?"

"Did you not hear what Sinding said? I could transform at any moment!"

"But you can control it, can't you?" Marcurio realized he was still holding her arm and let go of it. "I mean, you have so far, right?"

"The ring is _cursed_ , Marcurio. Whatever control I had is lost until I can get this thing off! And until then, everyone is in danger. Especially you. You need to go. In fact, you're fired. Get out of here."

She turned away from him, and Marcurio stared at her in disbelief. She didn't honestly believe that he'd abandon her so easily, did she?

"Fine," Marcurio said, walking in front of her so she'd be forced to face him. He dug into his satchel and pulled out the heavy bag of coin - 500 of them, to be exact. He threw it at her, and even in her addled state, Violet caught it effortlessly. "You can have your money back, but I'm not leaving."

Violet's eyes flashed dangerously, and for a moment, Marcurio reevaluated his decison. He'd heard werewolves were dangerous. Maybe he should just…

 _No!_

Marcurio slammed down on his cowardice, hard. He was _not_ going to abandon a friend in the wilderness just when she needed him most.

Violet must have sensed his stubborness, because after a moment, her shoulders slumped. "You aren't going to leave, are you?"

Marcurio shook his head, crossing his arms.

She sighed and gave him the money bag back. Marcurio pocketed it.

"Fine," she said, pointing a stiff finger in his face. "But if I tell you to run, you run, alright? This is non-negotiable."

Marcurio hesitated, then nodded. The deal had been struck, but deals could be broken.

Violet seemed more relaxed now that they had established that Marcurio wasn't going to leave. She continued walking towards the wilderness, though.

"Where are we going?" Marcurio asked her, running to catch up with her.

She looked at him, and that familiar sense of sarcasm returned. "I made a promise to a werewolf. I intend to keep it."

 **x x x**

Violet drew back on the bow quietly. She had to draw slowly so the bowstring would not creak, letting her pray know she was there. Even more slowly, she aimed at the majestic beast in her sights.

Violet had been a natural hunter even before she had become a werewolf. After her first transformation, her senses had become even more acute: her sight had improved sevenfold, her sense of smell was through the roof, and she could shoot more accurately than anyone she had ever met, even Green.

Even with all her years of experience, Violet had never seen an animal like the one before her. Large, with a body almost as large as a horse, the white stag had large hooves that could slam a small man into the ground. Its fur was so bright that it made the snow around it look gray, and it even walked with a majestic air.

It was a shame that she had to kill it.

She followed the animal with her bow, not daring to breathe. Marcurio, on the other hand, breathed so loudly that Violet was scared the stag would hear him. It was a miracle that it did not, until Violet realized the spell held in Marcurio's hand. Though not a mage herself, she had been with Green (who was an expert with magic) long enough to recognize most of them. He was muffling the sounds he was making; she could only hear it because she fell into the range of the spell.

Violet hid a smile. Marcurio was smarter than she had given him credit for, if a little foolhardy. Secretly, she was glad he had decided to stay with her; she never had been good at being alone. Now, that ineptitude came with fear: fear that the wolf would completely take over if she were by herself.

 _Focus!_ Violet scolded herself. She had already lost sight of the stag, and it was only after a brief moment of panic that she found it again.

It was getting harder to focus on the task at hand, lately. A large part of Violet wondered if it was because of Marcurio, but she ignored it. She didn't have time for such things.

The stag paused in its grazing, its ear twitching.

 _Thwap!_

Violet released the arrow, and it soared through the air, making for the beast's heart. It struck home, and blood sprayed into the air as the stag fell over, dead.

"Impressive!" Marcurio congratulated her, extinguishing his spell.

Violet allowed a small smile to escape her, and for some reason she felt please at the unexpected compliment. "Thank you."

She stood from their hiding place in the brush, dusting off leaves from her black Thieves Guild armor. Marcurio followed suit after a moment.

Violet approached the dead stag, avoiding stepping on twigs and vines through instinct more than anything, even though there was little need anymore.

Marcurio followed behind her. "Now what? Didn't Sinding say that Hircine would 'commune' with us or something?"

Violet shrugged, but before she could say anything, a sudden burst of white light caught her attention. She turned, and found a glowing blue stag standing in front of her. It took her a moment to realize that it looked exactly like the stag she had just killed.

"Well met, hunter," the stag said, speaking in a strange voice, even though deer could not speak.

 _Well, that's daedra for you,_ Violet thought. _Nothing about them makes any sense._

"Are you Hircine?" She asked the stag spirit.

"I am the spirit of the hunt, just one glimpse of the glorious stalker that your kind calls Hircine." The animal spoke in an arrogant voice. This was the father of werewolves? He sounded more like an aristocrat than a hunter.

Assuming it was not good tact to lay all her cards on the table at the same time, Violet spoke. "What would you ask of me?"

"Your fealty is precious to me. I will make good use of it," the Aspect of Hircine said. The stag looked at her finger. "You bear my ring. The one who stole it has fled to what he thinks is his sanctuary." A sound that almost came across as a laugh came from the beast, and Violet shifted uncomfortably, not liking where the conversation was headed. "Just as a bear climbs a tree to escape the hunt, but only ends up trapping himself. Seek out this rogue shifter. Tear the skin from his body, and make it an offering to me."

Marcurio looked at Violet in alarm. Her fist clenched, but she did her best to appear impassive. "It will be done as you ask."

She could feel Marcurio's shock, but ignored it.

"Fly, my hunter. There are others who vie for my favor. A bit of competition. Don't dally while the prey flees." The Aspect looked at the ring on Violet's finger, and hope surged in her. "Perhaps I will remove the curse from the ring when you are done. A little incentive, to get the hunter moving."

There was another flash of light, and then the deer's spirit was gone.

Violet felt her hope crash and burn. That bastard wouldn't remove it until the job was done! Who knows how long it would take to track Sinding down!

"What was that?" Marcurio demanded. "You just betrayed Sinding!"

Violet turned to face him, crossing her arms. "I didn't betray anyone. Do you know what happens when you disobey a daedric lord?"

Marcurio shook his head.

"People die. _That's_ what happens." Violet shouldered her bow. "It's better to let them think you'll go along with it and then disobey them. Less people get punished then."

Understanding dawned in Marcurio's eyes. "You're not going to kill Sinding?"

Violet shook her head. "No. Now come on. We've got a werewolf to save."


	11. Chapter 10

**Alright, dudes, I'm back! Exams are officially over and I still don't have free time. I have Solo and Ensemble coming up this weekend, and I have got to practice like crazy to get my solo up to snuff. No guarantees on the next time I update.**

 **But I digress.**

 **I'm trying something new today. For those of you who have friends (I certainly don't) please, tell them about this story! I would like to hit 500 views, and maybe when I do, I'll do something special (No idea what; I'm open to suggestions!).**

* * *

Green hated boats.

Personally, he had never actually been on many in his lifetime. But once or twice was enough to fill him with queasiness whenever he thought of, was near, or was in a boat.

Serana looked expectantly at him as she sat in the small rowboat that led to Castle Volkihar. She, apparently, had no problem with boats.

Not wanting to disappoint her for some reason, Green stepped into the boat. Instantly, it started rocking. He almost opted out right then. The world would understand if they were doomed because their hero was scared of boats, right?

Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to sit in the small watercraft, and it began to rock even more.

Serana watched it all with an amused expression on her face, even while Green's face turned…well, green. Snapping his fingers, her companion seized the oars with magic, and they began to row themselves towards the island.

It became less amusing as the boat reached deeper water. Green was clearly trying, and failing, to hide his discomfort as the boat lurched.

Serana felt a flash of sympathy. She wasn't scared of much - in fact, she was what some other people would be scared of. But, whenever she _had_ been afraid, there had been no one to help her.

So, swallowing her pride, she leaned forward and grabbed one of Green's armored hands.

Instantly his attention was drawn to her, but he didn't pull his hand back.

His shoulders slumped. "I don't really like boats much."

Serana smiled. "I noticed. Any particular reason?"

Green nervously smiled in return. Serana could feel the warmth of his hand through his gloves. "I…from what I've been told, my parents died in a shipwreck."

 _Oh._

"I'm sorry," Serana said, frowning. _Say more than that_! "I'm sure they'd be proud of you."

He shrugged. "I doubt it. My…friend told me that they weren't really good people."

"I wonder which is worse," Serana muttered, more to herself than anything, "never knowing your parents, but knowing they're bad people, or knowing them when they weren't so bad and watching them transform."

Green smiled wider at her. Her mind grew fuzzy, like it was filled with bees. "We have issues."

"Yes we do," she agreed. Then she realized that the boat had been stopped at the shore of Castle Volkihar for the last minute or so. And she was still holding his hand.

Serana stood suddenly, releasing his hand from hers. She exited the boat quickly, but unfortunately the sudden movement jerked the boat, tossing it onto its side and dumping Green into the water.

Fortunately, the water was shallow. The vampire hunter came up spluttering, mud coating his face and stuck in his hair. He was completely soaked.

Serana couldn't help it. She laughed. She laughed _hard_. After he crawled onto shore, Green laughed too. There was a kind of desperation to their guffaw - neither of them had laughed, really _laughed_ , in a long time.

Serana shushed them when she realized where they were, and they instantly sobered.

"Come on," she said, helping Green to his feet and making sure to release his hands when she was done. "The inlet is this way."

He nodded and wiped some of the mud from his face. There were still clumps in his hair, which made him look ridiculous, but Serana didn't tell him. She didn't want him to think that she was looking at him. She totally wasn't. Okay, maybe a little.

Green followed Serana, wiping mud and water from his face with spare piece of cloth that had managed to stay dry.

It was strange. A few weeks ago, if someone had told him that he would laugh and be friends with a vampire, he never would have believed them. But now, it seemed natural to share things with this vampire. It felt right to laugh with her.

Odd.

He walked behind her as they snuck past the grand bridge of Castle Volkihar. The first time Green had seen it, he had been amazed. He had assumed that Serana's home was a small cottage - not a giant castle.

"Yeah, just around this bend." Serana muttered to herself, stepping over a rock. She looked up at the castle above, pausing. It looked _massive_. "I always thought the castle looked so big from down here. I mean, it is big, but well…even bigger."

Green smiled to himself. "I know what you mean."

Serana led them to the side of the castle, but suddenly without warning crouched down and yanked Green by his armor with her when he didn't do the same.

"What is it?" He asked her.

"Skeletons," she said. She pointed towards the inlet, and it was massive, just like everything else about the castle. It easily could have fit two ships, side by side, inside.

Green drew his bow, but paused when he saw one of the skeletons trip and fall into the ocean. Obviously, these piles of bones were not as intelligent as the rest of their kind - and that was saying something.

Luckily, Green had remembered all of his ammunition this time, and the first skeleton fell without much noise. When another skeleton went to investigate, he shot it as well, and then a third and a fourth. Overall, they were not very challenging guardians.

"It seems that security has grown rather lax," Serana commented with a frown. "A shame."

Together, they strode forward, stepping over the discarded bones of the skeletons and entering Castle Volkihar.

 **x x x**

Serana hated skeletons.

It wasn't that she was afraid of them - there was very little these days that could scare her - but she just hated them. She hated the way they creaked when they walked. She hated the persistency in which they attacked. And attacked. And attacked. And she especially hated the arrows they carried in their quivers.

She wrapped a clean bandage around a rather deep cut that one of the said arrows had inflicted when Green wasn't looking. One of the misconceptions that people had about the undead was that they could not feel pain and could not heal. Neither was true - in fact, both seemed to be more intense. She certainly couldn't remember a cut aching this much when she had been a normal human. But she also knew that she hadn't healed as fast back then, either.

There were many things about being a vampire that she still didn't understand. Why did her body heal itself so quickly, especially in spite of the "undead" aspect of her existence? How come the sun burned her?

Why could she still feel?

It was a simple question with a more complicated answer. Obviously, she could feel physical things, like pain. The more complicated part came from the emotional feelings.

Serana pondered this as she and Green moved throughout the bowels of the abandoned tower, left behind by her mother. The passage to the tower had been hidden, but it was Green's puzzle-solving skills that had revealed it.

Strictly speaking, vampires were the only undead who could feel. Draugr obviously couldn't - they were just shadows of their former Nord selves. Skeletons were worse. Werewolves weren't even technically _undead_ \- just cursed. Even bodies raised by Necromancers couldn't feel - at least, they couldn't feel nearly as many emotions as strongly as before. So why were vampires different?

Before, Serana would have scoffed at the question. Why wonder about such things? But now…Her eyes traitorously flicked to Green's back.

She growled in frustration, and Green turned to look at her. His expression was unreadable through the full Dawnguard helmet he wore. It had taken a few beatings, and was even dented in a few places.

"Are you alright?" His voice came out muffled through the metal helmet.

That single question made Serana even more frustrated, mostly due to the new wave of warmth that surged over her. It was annoying.

"I'm fine," she tersely said.

She could imagine him frowning from under his helmet, but he said nothing. They kept walking for a few moments, Green's torch casting eerie shadows on the stone walls. Luckily, most of the enemies seemed to have been behind them in piles of bones.

"Did you spend a lot of time in the undercroft?" Green eventually said, coming to a stop. It was time to take a break anyways. They had been walking and fighting for the better part of two hours. Green put his back against the wall and removed his helmet. Most of the mud in his hair had come out, but there was still one clump, close to his forehead.

Serana thought about it for a moment, glad to abandon her frustrating musings. She stood across from him. "I liked to explore. My parents almost never let me off the island, so yeah, I poked around down there a lot." She allowed herself a brief chuckle. "It was a little…quieter, back then. Guess a little vampire girl was enough to scare off the rats."

Concern, or maybe sympathy flashed in Green's eyes. "That sounds pretty lonely."

Serana looked at the floor. "It was." She looked up to meet his eyes. "But I got used to it."

"You talk about being lonely a lot."

Looking in his eyes was a mistake. They saw far too much, and Serana got lost in them way too easily.

Not that she would ever admit that, of course.

"Well, growing up the way I did, you get used to it." Serana settled for looking at the single clump of dirt in his hair.

Suddenly, Green took a step forward so that he was just inside her personal space. "Do you still feel that way?"

For a long moment, Serana was unable to speak. That warm feeling flooded her and for a split second she almost took a step forward, closing the gap, but she stopped herself. It was hard to think, let alone breathe, with him so close to her.

She swallowed, and her sense came back to her. When in doubt, be honest.

"A little bit," Serana admitted. "That's…one of the reasons I wanted to come with you."

Crap! Too much information, too much! Green's eyes widened just a little. She needed to distract him just a bit.

"What about you?" She said quickly.

"You mean, do I get lonely?" Green asked. His brow furrowed.

"Yeah," Serana confirmed. "Is it just you, or do you have…people in your life?"

Now why did she want to know that? If it turned out he was married, what would that change?

Serana didn't want to admit it, but the thought came before she could stop it.

 _It would change a lot._

Green's eyes clouded with an unreadable emotion. Was that anger, or sadness? Serana couldn't tell.

"I try not to rely on others." His voice was dark, and he was no longer looking at her. He seemed to be seeing something far away.

Was that pain that flashed through her? Real, emotional pain? "Does it bother you that I'm here?"

Green's eyes snapped back to her so fast she got whiplash. It was too late to look away, though. Serana held his gaze almost stubbornly, determined to keep eye contact, even if it did make her legs go a little weak. He was still in her personal space.

" _What_?" Green asked, surprise evident in his voice. He grabbed her arm to reassure her, and warmth spread through her where he made contact with her. Suddenly she wanted to step even closer once again, but she restrained herself. "No, no. I'm glad you're with me! I am."

Serana couldn't resist a small smile. "Me too."

He smiled at her, and Serana had to remind herself that they were deep into enemy territory. She had to focus.

"Anyway, this is all very touching, but don't we have some more important things to worry about right now?

Green coughed. "Right. Of course." He took a step backward, and just like that the moment was gone.

Serana just wished the feelings it brought would vanish as easily.

* * *

 **Or, if you're like me and don't have friends, you could just leave a review on the story!**

 **(I really hope that was as smooth as I thought it was)**


	12. Chapter 11

_The funny thing about wolves,_ Violet thought, _is that they never go where they're wanted._

She finished examining the paw print on the ground and stood, stretching her back. She was so _tired_.

It had been three days since their communion with Hircine, and they had spent little time resting, choosing instead to chase down rumors of a large wolf wandering in the area. It was only the last lead that had actually held any promise, leading them to massive pawprints that were too big for the average wolf's.

"Shouldn't we take a break?" Marcurio asked from behind her, shining a ball of floating light on the pawprint Violet had just examined.

Violet shook her head, leaning heavily against a tree for support. "We can't waste any more time. Sinding has at least a three days' head start on us, and who knows who else is after him. If we wait, he dies."

She tried to take a step forward, to keep going, but Marcurio caught her arm. Unhurriedly, she turned to face him.

"You can't help Sinding if you're passed out from exhaustion," he said, softly, as if trying not to offend her.

Slowly, Violet nodded. She was too tired to argue.

Marcurio offered to set up camp, so Violet sat on a log and tried to focus. Focus on anything but the tug of the wolf inside of her.

 _He is weak,_ the beast said in her ear as she watched Marcurio unfold a tent. _It would be easy to hunt him._

 _I'm not hunting anyone,_ Violet firmly told the wolf. It was getting harder and harder to resist it, especially now that she was exhausted. Before, the voice had been but a whisper. Now it practically shouted at her inside her head. _You can go stuff it._

 _We will hunt eventually,_ the wolf chuckled. _When he shows the ultimate weakness, we will strike._

Violet paused. _What weakness?_

 _You know which weakness._

"Violet!"

She started, hand flying to her sword defensively before she realized that it was just Marcurio. She immediately relaxed, and the wolf took the opportunity to whisper in her ear again.

 _Why do you trust him now?_

"Can you help me with this firewood?" Marcurio asked, his arms full of logs from the forest around them. Some of the dirt from the ground had sullied his robes, and Violet had to resist a chuckle as she stood to help him.

Together, they arranged the wood in a pile and Marcurio ignited it with a snap of his fingers.

 _He has the gift you'll never have._

Violet sat on the ground in front of the fire and pulled out the meat from the deer she had killed before they stopped. In a few minutes, she had the meat roasting over the fire, and a delightful smell took over the small clearing they sat in.

 _There are things he isn't telling you._

"You doing okay?" Marcurio asked Violet as she turned the spit. "You look really pale."

 _He is weak._

"I'm fine," Violet managed to say. Blood pounded in her forehead and she was breathing hard.

 _Weakness kills. You know this._

"Are you sure?" Marcurio asked, sitting beside her. He held a book in one hand. "You really don't look good."

 _You are strong._

Violet swallowed and said nothing. It was getting harder to think. She had stopped turning the meat some time ago.

 _It is the duty of the strong to root out the weak._

"Violet," Marcurio said. His voice sounded far away.

 _Kill him._

"SHUT UP!" Violet shouted, covering her ears with her hands. The venison meat fell into the fire, but Marcurio pulled it out, swearing loudly when his hands were burned. He threw the meat into the dirt, and it smoked there.

 _Kill him!_

"Violet," Marcurio said, crouching down next to Violet and taking her hands in his, uncovering her ears. "Talk to me."

Instantly the voice of the wolf became softer, as if drowned out by some greater power. Violet turned to look at him carefully. His gray eyes were strangely intense, like a storm brewing.

She swallowed and looked down at the ground. "I-i-it's the wolf."

"What's it saying?"

She couldn't look at him. She wouldn't look at him. If he showed one sign of weakness, the wolf would pounce. "It says that you're weak, and since I'm strong, I have a duty to kill you."

She glanced up at him and saw him blink, but he never once wavered, still holding her eye contact and her hands. A strange tingling feeling spread from where his skin touched hers. Violet found that she didn't mind it.

"Well," Marcurio said slowly, "if you kill me, you won't get to hear my hilarious jokes."

Violet snorted. "What jokes?"

"You'll never know if you kill me."

Then he smiled at her, and Violet couldn't help noticing how his eyes lit up when he did. He really was quite handsome.

 _And weak,_ the wolf said, though much more quietly than before.

"I must sound crazy to you," Violet said, more to distract herself than anything. "I am talking about hearing voices in my head."

Marcurio shook his head. "It's just the ring. It's messing with your head, trying to get you angry so that you'll transform."

She cocked her head at him. "That's surprisingly astute, Marcurio."

He smirked. "Well, I guess a few weeks on the road with you has taught me some things."

Wait. Did he just compliment her? And did she just _enjoy_ it? She had to have been losing her mind.

Then again, maybe she already had.

The wolf was still whispering to her, but it seemed lessened, somehow.

Violet cocked her head, listening to the soft whisper of the wolf's voice. "It seems lessened when you're around."

"What? The wolf?"

She nodded.

Marcurio frowned in thought. "Well, if it is trying to get you to kill me, that might be why."

Another smart thought. He was on a roll, or something.

"What's your story, Marcurio?" Violet found herself asking. "You're smart and a powerful mage. Why aren't you at the College of Winterhold?"

Pain flashed immediately in his eyes and he broke eye contact. Instantly, Violet regretted asking. She squeezed his hands in apology.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't…"

Marcurio looked back at her. "It's fine, I just…didn't expect anyone to ask."

She waited patiently. He would tell her if he wanted to. She didn't want to force him.

Strange. With anyone else she would have kept pressing until they told her. But somehow she knew that wasn't going to work with Marcurio.

"I actually used to be a student at the college," he started, surprising Violet. "A rather good one, in fact. Many of the teachers called me their favorite."

"What happened?" Violet asked.

"I got kicked out." Marcurio's eyes were distant. "I was having a simple argument with one of my fellow students over whether or not his spell would work. He was a bit of a hothead, and the argument quickly grew heated.

"He insulted my sister, and I guess my anger got the best of me. I…attacked him, and…he was injured badly. He was taken to a place of healing, and as far as I know he's still there. I, on the other hand, was expelled for using my magic in a hostile manner towards another student." Marcurio looked down at their intertwined hands, shame filling his face.

"Hey," Violet said, and he looked back up at her. "It was a simple mistake. I doubt anyone could have done any better."

Marcurio scoffed. "That's the problem. The wizards at the college pride themselves on being above such petty squabbles, and so they're horrified if anyone stoops to the common level. Savos Aren, the Arch-Mage, threw me out himself."

Violet was silent for a moment, giving him room to gather himself again. But there was one more thing she had to know. "What happened to your sister?"

Marcurio tensed, but another squeeze of the hands from Violet relaxed him again. He looked her right in the eye, and Violet realized that she was letting her emotions clearly show on her face. She left them there, though.

"She died of Rockjoint." Marcurio finally said. "I was ten at the time; she was eight."

"I'm so sorry," Violet said, truly meaning it.

He smiled at her, and there was nothing left to say.


	13. Chapter 12

**Here's a little bonus: two chapters in two days! The one I posted yesterday was to celebrate that ya girl got a 1 in Solo and Ensemble! Hopefully I should have more time to update now that _that_ monstrosity is over with.**

* * *

Green stared at the room around him in disbelief. He had seen several laboratories in his day; he was the Arch-Mage of the College of Winterhold, after all. But nothing could have prepared him for Valerica's lab.

The room was huge and must have taken up a majority of the top of the tower they were in. Rows and rows of shelves lines the room, filled with strange alchemical components. Bookshelves stood to the side of the room, behind a small table filled with all manners of bones: Troll bones, dragon bones, human bones…In the center of the room, a large circle of stones sat, designed like a small staircase that led nowhere.

Serana was the first to speak.

"Look at this place!" She exclaimed. "This has to be it!" She glanced at one of the tomes on the bookshelves. "I knew she was deep in necromancy. I mean, she taught me everything I know. But I had no idea she had a setup like this!"

"I know several wizards who would kill for a laboratory like this," Green muttered, but Serana didn't seem to hear him.

She wandered over to the table of bones. "Look at all this. She must have spent years gathering all these components."

Green joined her at the table. "I've never seen some of the creatures these bones belong to before."

"You wouldn't," Serana said. "Many of them are extinct."

They pointedly avoided eye contact and did not talk about the human skull on the table.

"And what's this thing?" Serana continued. She and Green approached the stone circle apprehensively. "I'm not sure about this circle, but it's obviously…something."

Green was still looking around the room when she turned to him. Green tried his best not to look directly at her; for some reason he felt extremely awkward around her after what happened in the hallway a few hours previous.

In all honesty, Green didn't know what had come over him. First, he was concerned about how tense she was, and then he was concerned about how lonely she was but silently relating, and then all he could think about was how beautiful she looked in the torch light.

A vampire hunter should not have those kinds of thoughts towards a vampire. But Green couldn't help it.

"Let's take a look around. There has to be something here that tells us where she's gone." Serana's voice jolted him out of his confusing thoughts.

He shook his head to focus. "What exactly are we looking for?"

Serana seemed to think for a moment. "My mother was meticulous about her research. If we can find her notes, there might be some hints in there."

Green nodded and moved to search the bookshelf while she searched the alchemical shelves. Suddenly the silence seemed too loud, and Green tried to immerse himself in the multitude of books that Valerica kept there, but it didn't work. Eventually, he had to start a conversation.

"Your mother maintained quite a laboratory," he said, loud enough so that she could hear him from across the room.

"I had no idea that her laboratory even existed," Serana replied, her voice sounding carefully even. "She had an alchemy setup in her drawing room, but nothing that even comes close to what's here."

"What did she research?" Green asked, discarding Feyfolken I, II, and III.

"Looking at the equipment and materials, it looks like she was trying to advance her necromancy."

"To what end?"

Serana hesitated. "I don't know. Certainly not longevity. Kind of a waste of time for a vampire."

Green nearly tripped over the pile of books he was accumulating, but not because of clumsiness.

He was such an _idiot_! He had completely forgotten that vampires were immortal! Green didn't know why, but this thought suddenly filled him with despair.

Serana was a vampire. Vampires were immortal. How many friends had she outlived? How many people she cared about had she watched die of old age until she became detached from them?

Would she be detached from him when he died?

Serana continued speaking as if she hadn't just dropped a bombshell on Green. "I just wish I knew what all of this was for."

Green's hand landed on a small red journal bound in leather. He opened it, and his eyes widened as he began to flip through the pages.

"Serana!" He shouted, his excitement getting the better of him. "I've found your mother's journal!"

She was by his side in an instant. "You did? Let me see them!" She snatched the book from his hands and began reading through the pages hungrily.

When Green was confident that she was far enough through it, he spoke. "What's this 'Soul Cairn' that she mentions?"

Serana frowned, still looking through the book. "I only know what she told me." She turned the page. "She had a theory about soul gems. That the souls inside of them don't just vanish when they're used…they end up in the Soul Cairn."

Green frowned as well. "Why did she care where used souls went?"

"The Soul Cairn is home to very powerful beings. Necromancers send them souls, and receive powers of their own in return. My mother spent a lot of time trying to contact them directly, to travel to the Soul Cairn itself."

"If she made it there, we'll find her." Green said, a dim plan forming in his mind.

"That circle in the room is definitely some kind of portal," Serana agreed. She turned another page, and her frown lessened. "If I'm reading this right, there's a formula here that should give us safe passage into the Soul Cairn."

"What do we need?"

Serana began to read directly from the page. "A handful of soul gem shards, some finely-ground bone meal, a good bit of purified void salts…" She scowled. "Damn it!"

Green almost took a step towards her out of reflex. He suppressed the urge. "What's wrong?"

"We're also going to need a sample of her blood." Serana sighed. "Which, if we could get that, we wouldn't be trying to do this in the first place."

Green thought hard, and then it came to him. When he was helping Septimus open the Dwemer puzzle cube, it had required Dwemer blood. They had tricked the mechanism by gathering all the blood that was similar.

"You share her blood," he said.

"Hmmm," Serana said, smiling just slightly. "Not bad. We'd better hope that's good enough. Mistakes with these kinds of portals can be…gruesome. Alright, let's get started. All we have to do is find those ingredients."

Green slapped his hands together in anticipation. This was one thing he could do.

Soon they had all three ingredients gathered in a small bowl they found on the second tier of the room that overlooked the stone circle. Carefully, Green had poured the ingredients in, making sure to get all of the excess dust from his clothes into the vessel.

Serana looked at the vessel and took a deep breath. She turned to Green.

"Then the rest is up to me." She looked at the bowl and Green couldn't help but think that she looked unnerved. "Are you ready to go? I'm not entirely sure what this thing is going to do when I add my blood."

"Can I ask you something first?" Green blurted.

Serana looked back at him, then tactfully avoided eye contact. "Of course. What is it?"

Green stuttered for a moment. What exactly did he want to know? There was several things that came to mind, but he picked the most important one.

"What will you do if we find your mother?" He cocked his head at her, truly interested in what she would say.

Serana seemed taken aback, and she stuttered as well as she searched for an answer. Finally, she said, "I've been asking myself that same thing since we came back to the castle." Then she looked Green right in the eyes. "She was so sure of what we did to my father, I couldn't help but go along with her. I never thought of the cost."

He considered that for a moment. "It sounds like she did everything for your sake."

Serana's brow furrowed. Clearly, she hadn't considered that option. "Possibly," she said slowly. "I guess a vampire mother is still a mother." Her eyes grew distant. "She worried about me. About all of us. But she wanted to get me away from my father as soon as possible before he really went over the edge."

"We won't know until we find her," Green tried to comfort her.

"I…yes, you're right. I'm sorry. I just…didn't expect anyone to care how I felt about her." She gave him a small smile, and it made him feel like he'd done something grand. "Thank you. Are we ready then?"

Green put his helmet back on his head. "Let's get that portal open."

Serana took another deep breath. "Alright. Here goes."

She stepped up to the portal vessel and drew her dagger, dragging it in a line across her palm. The wound quickly sealed itself back up, but not before a significant amount of blood seeped into the bowl beneath her hand.

Immediately, the circle of stones reacted, rumbling deafeningly and glowing with a dark purple light. The stones began to unravel themselves from the circle and levitated towards the standing, forming a staircase into a glowing purple abyss.

"By the blood of my ancestors…" Serana gasped. "She actually did it. She created a portal to the Soul Cairn. Incredible."

Green was the first to gather his wits about him. He took a tentative step onto the first set of stairs, and then another. When he was confident that the creation was steady, he took a few more steps forward.

Purple strands of light snapped out of the portal, attaching themselves to Green's arms faster than he could blink. White-hot pain shot through him, nearly bringing him to his knees but still bringing tears to his eyes. The tendrils tried to drag him into the abyss, but with each tug more pain came. Green didn't want to go, and he resisted, pulling as hard as he could in the other direction. When the portal realized it couldn't have him, it released his arms from the tentacles, but not before slapping into him with so much force that he launched into the air, slamming into the wall behind Serana.

"Green!" Serana screamed, racing over to where he lay on the ground, unconscious. She ripped the helmet off his face and discovered that he was bleeding heavily from a gash in his forehead. A quick inspection of the inside of his helmet told the story. It was heavily dented, the metal folded into a sharp point that had punctured his skin. The sight of all the blood made her dizzy with hunger, but she forced it down. She performed a quick healing spell on his head, but it could only do so much.

"Green!" She exclaimed, shaking his shoulders even though she knew it wasn't the best idea. She just needed him to be okay! " _Green_!"

His eyes snapped open, but there was something wrong with them. Instead of their usual bright green, they were a dark, ugly yellow.

Like a wolf's.

Internally, Green was struggling. He was awake, but he was in a fair amount of pain. Pain always made it harder to resist the wolf.

 _Hunt!_ It shouted. _The vampire hurt us! Hunt her! Kill her!_

 _Never,_ Green told the wolf. _I would never harm Serana!_

 _You're a vampire_ hunter _. So hunt!_

"Green?"

His head snapped to look at her, and Green wasn't sure whether he was in control, or the wolf was.

She was sitting on the ground near him, the remainder of a healing spell still on her hands. She looked so concerned that it physically hurt Green somewhere in his chest.

 _She does care._

That was enough to give him the strength to push back the wolf, and just like that, he was back to normal.

The pain hit him full force, then, and he lay back on the ground and groaned. "Ow."

"Green?" Serana asked, caution filling her voice. "Is that…you?"

Green sat up and looked at her. "Who else would it be?"

But he only got halfway through the sentence before Serana had wrapped him in a massive hug, and man, did it feel good. His stomach filled with a strange tingling feeling and it was only when he returned the hug that she pulled away.

She coughed. "Are you alright? That looked painful."

Green grunted and stood up. The pain was already fading. "It was. What happened?"

Serana winced. "Now that I think about it…I should have expected that. Sorry."

He raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything, waiting.

"It's hard to describe. The Soul Cairn is…well, hungry, for lack of a better word. It's trying to take your life essence as payment."

Green sighed. All that, for nothing? "So there's no way in, then?"

Serana hesitated. "Well, there might be, but you're not going to like it." When he didn't stop her, she continued. "Vampires aren't counted among the living. I could probably go through there without a problem."

He grew cold. "Are you saying that I need to become a vampire?"

She scowled. "Not your first choice, I'd guess?"

Green opened his mouth to deny it, then shut his mouth. He'd seen what vampirism had done for some people. Besides, he was already a werewolf. While vampirism might silence the wolf, was he really sure he wanted to trade one burden for another?

"There has to be another way," he settled for saying.

Serana's brow furrowed the way it did when she was thinking. "Maybe." She stood and began to pace. "We could just 'pay the toll' another way. It wants a soul, so we give it a soul. Yours."

Green jerked with just a hint of alarm. Had he offended her somehow? "Wouldn't that kill me?"

"My mother taught me a trick or two. I could partially soul trap you, and then offer that gem to the Ideal Masters. It might be enough to satisfy them." She stopped pacing and turned to face him. "It would make you a bit weaker when we travel through the Soul Cairn, but we might be able to fix that once we're inside. Maybe."

Green frowned. He had been partially soul-trapped before, and it hadn't been a pleasant experience. "Those are my only two options?"

"I'm sorry," Serana said, and it sounded like she meant it. "I wish I knew a better way. Something that would be easier for you. Just know that…whatever path you choose, I won't think any less of you. Sometimes…sometimes things just have to be done." Then, more quietly, "I know that better than anybody."

Green sat down heavily in a chair, and Serana let him be, for which he was grateful. He'd made hard decisions before, and they had rarely turned out well for him. Of course, there were a few that had turned out well, too…

He needed to approach this logically. He needed to understand all of his options.

"Have you ever…turned someone before?"

Serana looked at the floor. "Well, n-no. Turning someone is a very…personal thing for vampires. It's intimate. For us." A slow blush was creeping across her cheeks.

Green swallowed. The image of Serana's mouth on his neck made him shiver - and not from revulsion. But he needed to stay focused.

He recalled the last time he was partially soul-trapped, in an attempt to cleanse out Azura's Star, a daedric artifact that he still had. The mage who had orchestrated his soul-trapping had not been very gentle, and he still remembered the pain that had cut through him - far more than the portal to the Soul Cairn had just inflicted. Somehow, though, he knew Serana would be far gentler. Or at least, she would try.

Green took a deep breath, making his decision. Now he just needed to explain himself.

"Did I ever tell you about how I contracted lycanthropy?" He asked Serana, who was still looking at the floor.

She looked up at him when he spoke. "No, you haven't."

He shook his head, not relishing the memory. "It was a complete accident. Some choose the so-called 'gift.' It was forced onto me.

"When I first came to Skyrim, I had nothing to my name except the clothes on my back, and even those were stolen. I immediately went looking for work, and one thing led to another. Eventually, the Dark Brotherhood found me."

He watched her reaction when he said the name of the evil institution, but she didn't even flinch. Instead, she nodded. Green chose to interpret that as acceptance and continued.

"They employed me, and I did a few jobs for them, making enough money to stabilize myself. One day, though, I received one of the most difficult contracts on hand at the time. It was a man named Wynnin. He was a Thalmor, I believe. He was hunting down Talos worshippers, and I was sent to eliminate him.

"When I got to his location, he was waiting for me. He tried to bribe me, but I wouldn't budge. So he attacked, and we fought. But no one had told me that he was a werewolf. He bit me when we fought, and after I transformed back to normal, I was standing over his body." Green closed his eyes. "It wasn't even recognizable. I had eaten him. I never did another contract ever again."

Something soft touched his arm, and Green opened his eyes to see Serana gently touching it, her eyes full of sympathy, and…understanding?

"It wasn't your fault," she said.

Green stared at her. "How do you know?"

Now it was Serana's turn to close her eyes. "You're not the only one who has trouble controlling their hunger. It does things to the mind."

He blinked. He would have thought Vampires had more control over their hunger. But apparently, he was wrong. He waited for Serana to continue.

"It was a long time ago," she finally said, her eyes still closed as she remembered. "I had only been a vampire for a few years, I think. My father had introduced cattle into the castle for us to feed on at this point.

"One day, I was so thirsty that I just couldn't stand it. I went down to the cattle, and picked one at random. But I was relatively young, in vampire years, and I didn't know control yet." She squeezed her eyes so tightly shut that no light came through. "I drained him dry, Green. And the scary part was, a small portion of me didn't care. I only ever drank from blood potions after that."

She didn't want to see his reaction, but she opened her eyes when an armored glove fit itself to her palm. Green looked unsure of himself (which was a rarity), but he seemed to grow more confident when she didn't immediately pull her hand away.

"I'm glad you told me that," he slowly said, making eye contact with her. "I guess we have more in common that we originally thought."

That put another small smile on her face. He was getting better at doing that. "I guess so."

They stayed like that for a long minute before Green decided that they needed to get going.

"Soul trap me," he eventually said. "I won't feel right as a vampire. I'd rather have the devil I know that the one I don't."

"Are you sure?" Serana asked. "I'm willing to do it, but you need to think it through. You'll remain mortal, but you'll find yourself weakened within the Soul Cairn."

"I'm ready," Green said, before he could back out.

Serana pulled a soul gem from her pocket. "I know this is difficult for you," she said, placing the crystal over Green's heart. "I hope you trust me. I…I'd never do anything that could hurt you."

Green spoke immediately. "I trust you completely." More out of instinct than anything, he placed both his hands over the one she held to his heart.

"Thank you. Let's not waste anymore time, then. I promise to make this as painless as possible. Hold still." Serana smiled, a full smile, and it was all Green could do to stop himself from leaning forward and kissing her.

Wait. What?

 _Whoosh_!

It was hardly more than a brief pinch inside of him, but it was still enough to wind him. Getting one's soul sucked out of one's body tended to do that. He staggered, but caught himself on one of the stone banisters.

"Are you alright?" Serana asked, concerning lacing her voice.

Green nodded after a moment. Everything seemed to be in order. Except…he felt strangely empty, and his emotions seemed to be muted. Even those concerning her. Not that he had any, of course…

When Serana was sure that Green was alright, she took the soul gem containing his soul (which felt strangely warm on her cold hands) and tossed it into the portal.

The purple tendrils immediately snatched it up, disappearing back into the abyss and taking part of Green's soul with them.

"Well," Green said after a moment. "Never say I never gave you anything."

Serana rolled her eyes, not even awarding him with a snort. "Let's go. My mother must be waiting on the other side of that thing."

And with that, they stepped into the Soul Cairn.

* * *

 **Yeah, this was a fun chapter to write. Violence! Internal Stuggles! Longing! All the good stuff.**

 **Please review!**


	14. Chapter 13

**Woo! Three chapters, three days. I'm on a roll! (Just a fair warning, this probably will not happen again, but I'll try).**

 **Also, heads up. This chapter is mainly just dialogue from the game, and I'm also pretty sure I spelled Durnheviir wrong. Have mercy on me.**

* * *

The Soul Cairn was a very strange place. As soon as she entered, Serana could tell that much. It resembled a set of mass ruins, with crumbling stone towers and mazes dotting the landscapes. Purple lightning flashed overhead, and the groans of the undead could clearly be heard. Both innocents who had been soul trapped, and…others. Serana wasn't sure what those were just yet. She hoped she didn't have to find out.

After an hour of hiking towards a large stone castle that glowed in the distance, she began to feel very unnerved. It was like hearing a flat note in a piece of music - her senses felt like they were being constantly grated by some unseen force. The only thing that kept her sane was talking to her friend the vampire hunter.

How ironic. Serana had known many people in her life, but she had only ever truly opened up to this one person - who just so happened to have sworn himself to destroy her kind. If someone had told her that before she was locked away in Dimhollow, she would have killed them on general principles. Now, though…

They had to take fairly often breaks, for Green's sake. He huffed and puffed a lot more, and seemed to have a harder time hefting Dawnbreaker. He even had to cast weaker spells. When Serana asked him what it was like to be missing part of his soul, he only replied, "Like I suddenly need glasses. Everything is blurry."

So when they finally reached the castle, Serana paused to let Green catch up to her. It was strange to see him in such a hostile environment without his helmet on, but the Soul Cairn had ruined it.

"I hope your mother is nearby," he panted, placing Dawnbreaker back in its sheath.

"You and me both," Serana muttered.

Together, they climbed the steps to the dark castle, and Serana caught the first look at her mother for centuries.

She was thinner than before and even paler, if that was even possible. She held her hair up in two buns kept towards the back of her head, and she looked…defeated. The look was so unfamiliar on her mother that for a moment Serana almost didn't recognize her. There was a pink wall of light between them, but that didn't stop Serana from running up to it and looking at her mother.

"Mother?" Serana asked. Valerica looked up, and Serana definitely recognized the face. "Mother!"

"Maker…it can't be!" Valerica said, running up to the opposite side of the force-field. "Serana?!"

"Is it really you?" Serana asked, speaking quickly. "I can't believe it!" She hadn't realized how much she missed her mother until that point. She glared at the barrier separating them. "How do we get inside? We need to talk."

"Serana?" Valerica repeated, still in disbelief. "What are you doing here? Where is your father?" She spoke in a staccato fashion, as if each word was their own sentence.

"He doesn't know we're here," Serana said. "I don't have time to explain!"

"I must have failed," Valerica said, and that look of defeat returned again. "Harkon's found a way to decipher the prophecy, hasn't he?"

"No!" Serana insisted. "We're here to stop him…to make everything right."

Valerica's amber eyes finally landed on Green, who stood protectively behind Serana. Her eyes widened. "Wait a minute," she said. "You've brought a _stranger_ here? Have you lost your _mind_?"

Serana tried to take a step forward to reassure her mother, but the barrier got in the way. "No, you don't -"

"You." Valerica said, pointing sternly at Green. His eyes widened in panic. "Come forward. I would speak with you."

Green swallowed and did as he was told, stepping up beside Serana and in front of Valerica. She was just as intimidating as he imagined her.

"So how has it come to pass that a vampire hunter is in the company of my daughter?"

Green opened his mouth to explain, but Valerica cut him off.

"It pains me that you would travel with Serana under the guise of her protector, in an effort to hunt me down."

A flash of anger, clearly felt despite the absence of part of his soul, spilled out of his mouth. "This is no ruse!" He protested fiercely. "I want to keep her safe."

Valerica scoffed. "Coming from one who murders vampires as a trade, I find it hard to believe your intentions are noble." She began to pace, and Green tried his best to keep a handle on his anger. It was harder now, without his soul. "Serana has sacrificed everything to prevent Harkon from completing the prophecy. I would have expected her to explain that to you."

Green crossed his arms. "I've been keeping her safe."

" _Safe_?" Valerica demanded, sticking another finger in Green's face (as much as she could with the magic barrier in her way). "You call bringing her here _safe_? Has she explained nothing to you?"

He suppressed a growl of frustration. "That's why we're here for the Elder Scroll."

"You think I'd have the audacity to place my own daughter in that tomb for the protection of her Elder Scroll alone?" Valerica scoffed again. "The scroll was merely a means to an end. The key to the Tyranny of the Sun is Serana herself."

Green felt his blood run cold. "What do you mean?"

"When I fled Castle Volkihar, I fled with two Elder Scrolls. The scroll I presume you found with Serana speaks of Auriel, and his arcane weapon, Auriel's Bow." Valerica's shoulders slumped suddenly. "The second scroll declares that 'The blood of Coldharbour's daughter will blind the eye of the Dragon.'"

"So how does Serana fit in?"

"Like myself, Serana was a human once. We were devout followers of lord Molag Bal. Tradition dictates the females be offered to Molag Bal on his summoning day. Few survive the ordeal. Those that do emerge as a pure-blooded vampire." Valerica crossed her arms. "We call such confluences the Daughters of Coldharbour."

Green had heard of Coldharbour before, of course. He had to stop one of the apprentice students from the College from summoning a daedra from Molag Bal's realm in his office. But from what he understood, it was not a friendly place, just like the owner of that chunk of Oblivion.

He looked at Serana, who was staring at the ground and refused to look at him.

"You underwent this ritual willingly?" He asked her.

Serana opened her mouth to reply, looking up at him, but her mother cut her off.

"It was expected of her," Valerica interrupted. "Just as it was expected of me. Being selected as an offering to Molag Bal is an honor. She wouldn't have dared turn her back on that."

 _Back to the matter at hand!_ Green told himself, and that cold fear returned. "Back up. The Tyranny of the Sun requires Serana's blood?"

Valerica nodded. "Now you're beginning to see why I wanted to protect Serana, and why I've kept the other Elder Scroll as far from her as possible."

Green forced himself to remain calm, but he couldn't stop some of the panic from seeping into his voice. "Are you saying Harkon means to kill her?"

"If Harkon obtained Auriel's Bow, and Serana's blood was used to taint the weapon, the Tyranny of the Sun would be complete. In his eyes, she'd be dying for the good of all vampires."

Green's fists clenched. "I would never allow that to happen." Never!

Valerica shot him a skeptical look. "And how exactly do you plan on stopping him?"

Green was so angry at Harkon, at Valerica, and even himself, and so willing to protect Serana that the words just slipped out. "I…I'll kill Harkon."

Valerica snorted. "If you believe that, then you're a bigger fool than I originally expected. Don't you think I weighed that option before I enacted my plans?"

He grit his teeth. "And Serana's opinion in this?"

Valerica cut her daughter off once again. "You care _nothing_ for Serana, or our plight. Whether or not you've become one of us to survive the Soul Cairn, you're still a vampire hunter at heart." She scowled. "You're here because we're abominations in your mind - evil creatures that need to be destroyed."

That was so far from the truth that Green physically growled in fury. To some, _he_ was considered an abomination. He didn't want to destroy all vampires, just the ones threatening the innocents in Skyrim.

Finally he took a deep breath to calm himself. "Serana believes in me. Why won't you?"

This actually seemed to surprise Valerica. She turned to her daughter. "Serana?"

Serana's eyes were burning with an anger that Green had never seen in her before. She met her mother's eyes even as Valerica continued speaking.

"This stranger aligns himself with those that would hunt you down, and slay you like an animal, yet I should untrust you to him?"

Serana straightened, her body tense with rage. "This 'stranger' has done more for me in the brief time I've known him than you've done in _centuries_!"

"How _dare_ you?" Valerica demanded. "I gave up everything I cared about to protect you from that _fanatic_ you call a father!"

Serana clenched her jaw visibly. "Yes, he's a fanatic! He's…changed. But he's still my father! Why can't you understand how that makes me _feel?!_ "

The last sentence was shouted at Valerica, and silence settled around the three. Serana was breathing hard, and so was Valerica, and Green was just proud that Serana had stood up for herself. And him.

Finally Valerica spoke, and if she wasn't angry before, she was now. "Oh, Serana. If you'd only open your eyes. The _moment_ Harkon discovers your role in the prophecy, that he needs your blood, you'd be in terrible danger."

"So to protect me," Serana said, her voice eerily calm, "you decided to shut me away from everything that I cared about?

"You never asked _me_ if hiding me in that tomb was the best course of action, you just expected me to follow you blindly. Both of you were obsessed with your own paths. Your motivations might have been different, but in the end, I'm still just a pawn to you too.

"I want us to be a family again, but I don't know if we can ever have that. Maybe…maybe we don't deserve that kind of happiness. Maybe it isn't for us. But we have to stop him. Before he goes too far. And to do that, we need the Elder Scroll."

Valerica deflated. "I'm sorry, Serana. I didn't know. I didn't see. I've allowed my hatred of your father to estrange us for too long. Forgive me. If you want the Elder Scroll, it's yours."

Finally, she turned back to Green, but her voice was less hostile now. "Your intentions are still somewhat unclear to me," she said. She glanced at her daughter. "But for Serana's sake, I'll assist you in any way that I can."

 _That's more like it. Civility,_ Green thought. "Do you have the Elder Scroll with you?"

Valerica nodded. "Yes. I've kept it safely secure here ever since I was imprisoned."

She went on to explain how the Ideal Masters tricked her and imprisoned her in the castle, and how Green and Serana could lower the barrier by killing three Keepers. She also warned about Durnheviir, but Green wasn't too worried about the beast. He had killed many dragons in his time; how would this one be any different?

It was only once they were a safe distance from the castle and well on their way to one of the Keeper's that Serana spoke.

"I'm glad you're here," she said. "I don't think I could be doing this alone."

Green sent a smile her way, but it seemed lesser than usual. He seemed distracted. "How are you feeling after talking to your mother?"

Serana looked at a fissure in the ground as they passed it. "Relieved…I think." Her hands fiddled with each other. "All those things have been building for a while. You have no idea how long I wanted to say that to her."

Green looked at her, and she saw that familiar concern on his face. "Why did you agree to her plan in the first place?"

"Look…" Serana began, "I loved my father, but when he found that prophecy…that just became his life. Everything else, even me and my mother…we just became clutter." She stepped over a pile of human skulls and tried not to shudder. "I was close with my mother, but she just kept feeding me her opinions of him, and eventually I started believing them."

He frowned. "She doesn't seem too fond of him."

She sighed. "The moment we gave ourselves to Molag Bal, things got really icy between them. They were both _drunk_ with power, and pulling in different directions. And then he found that prophecy, and…that was it."

"And you were caught in the middle." Green's eyebrows were furrowed, but Serana couldn't tell if it was from anger, unhappiness, or something else. He had become much harder to read once he gave up part of his soul.

"I was," she agreed. "Honestly, it took me up until now to realize that my mother was really just as bad as he was. He was obsessed with power. She was obsessed with seeing him fail. It was just so… _toxic_." She frowned. "Maybe I could have seen this coming. We could all have been better off now."

Green stopped her, and they stood between two piles of bones. "You shouldn't blame yourself."

"I know that in my head," Serana admitted. "But I just can't help feeling bad about…the way things are." He raised an eyebrow at her. "Sorry. I know you're trying to help. Thanks." She looked at the tower where the first keeper was in the distance. "Anyway, we should keep moving. Come on."

She walked ahead of him, and didn't see Green's deepened frown.

 **x x x**

It took them a long time to kill all of the Keepers. Not only were the bastards hard to kill, especially since Green was weakened, but they were also spread as far as possible apart. It was incredibly annoying.

Finally, after they defeated the last Keeper, and were on their way back, Serana noticed that something was wrong with Green. Besides the obvious. He was being unusually quiet, and he kept stealing glances at her when he thought she wasn't looking. In hindsight, it was fairly obvious, but in her defense, Serana had a lot on her mind.

"Are you alright?" She finally asked him, when they were close enough to see her mother's prison in the distance.

Green frowned, and his brow furrowed. Finally, he said, "You deserve to be happy."

Serana froze in her tracks, she was so surprised. "What?"

He continued, but paused a lot, as if unsure of himself. "When you were talking to your mother, you said that your family might not deserve happiness. I don't know about your mother, but I know you, and I know that you deserve to be happy once all of this is over."

She stared at him. "W-where did this come from?"

Green looked down at the ground. "I don't know." His tone made it sound like he definitely did know but didn't want to tell her.

Serana was at a loss for words. Even before she was a vampire, no one had ever told her that. But this person who'd she only known for a month or two seemed to care more than anyone she'd ever met in centuries of being alive. And maybe, just maybe, she cared just as much.

But how was she supposed to tell him that?

So in the end she settled for saying, "Thank you," and squeezing his arm comfortingly. There were many other things she wanted to say, she but didn't trust herself to say them.

Valerica seemed most surprised when Green and Serana returned.

"You managed to destroy all _three_ Keepers? Very impressive."

"Are you able to give us the scroll now?" Green asked, his voice sounding tired.

"Yes," she said, sounding much more civilized. "Please, follow me." She turned towards a door behind her, then added, "Keep watch for Durnheviir. With the prison's barriers down, he's almost certain to investigate."

Serana and Green shared a look before following Valerica into the prison.

Inside, the "prison" was really just a wide, open space, almost like a large undead courtyard. There were still several bones lining the place, but it looked like Valerica had pushed them to the side. There were even a few barren plants growing in a line, like a garden had been set up.

They only took a few steps into the courtyard before a series of giant whooshing sounds could be heard.

As if on cue, all three of them drew their weapons.

"What is that?" Serana asked.

"Dragon," Green replied at the same time that Valerica said, "Durnheviir."

Then the beast crested the top of the prison, and Serana caught her first look at a dragon.

Durnheviir was a massive creature, with sickly green scales and purple wings. His claws were sharp enough to rip a man apart with a mere scratch and his mouth shone with hundreds of pale white teeth.

Green wasted no time. Bracing his feet against a stone pillar, he shouted into the sky, "JOOR ZAH FRUL!"

Instantly, a wave of blue magical energy shot forth from his mouth and lashed onto Durnheviir's body, dragging the creature to the ground.

Instantly, Green and Serana laid into the dragon, hacking at its hard scales with dagger and sword, while Valerica cast spells at it from a distance. Durnheviir roared with fury, spewing ice and flame at them with little effect. Soon his hide was slick with black blood and he collapsed to the ground.

Green took a step forward, as if expecting something, but the dragon's body glowed with a purple light and disappeared without a trace.

It was a long moment before anyone spoke.

"Forgive my astonishment," Valerica said, her orange eyes wide, "But I never thought I'd witness the death of that dragon."

"What makes you say that?" Green asked, sheathing Dawnbreaker.

"Volumes written on Durnheviir allege that he can't be slain by normal means. It appears they were mistaken." She paused. "Unless…"

Green frowned again. "Go on."

"The soul of a dragon is as resilient as its owner's scaly hide." Valerica continued. "It's possible that your killing blow has merely displaced Durhnheviir's physical form while he reconstitutes himself."

"How long will that take?" Serana asked.

"Minutes? Hours? Years? I can't even begin to guess. I suggest we don't wait around to find out." Valerica seemed more troubled than usual. "Now, let's get you the Elder Scroll so you can be on your way."

She strode off towards a small stone shack, and Green and Serana had no choice but to follow the vampire.

When she reached the small shack, she opened a large, oblong wooden case. And just like that, they had the second Elder Scroll. Green grabbed it and placed it on his back, then turned to Valerica.

There was a certain sadness to her posture. "Now that you've retrieved the Elder Scroll, you should be on your way."

Green frowned for the upteenth time that day. "You're staying here?"

She shook her head. "I have no choice. As I told you before, I'm a Daughter of Coldharbour. If I return to Tamriel, then that increases Harkon's likelihood of bringing the Tyranny of the Sun to fruition."

He felt his brow furrow. "We'll return for you when we can."

Valerica smiled, but it possessed no happiness. "I appreciate your concern for me, but Serana is all I care about. You must keep her safe at all costs."

Green nodded. "I will."

"And remember: Harkon is not to be trusted. No matter what he promises, he'll deceive you in order to get what he wants." She crossed her arms. "And promise me you'll keep my daughter safe. She's the only thing of value I have left."

"Of course."

Green gave Serana and Valerica a chance to say goodbye, and then Valerica told him where to retrieve his soul, and then they set out. Unfortunately, things were hardly ever that simple.

Durnheviir was waiting for them when they left, sitting calmly on one of the stone pillars that collapsed.

Green and Serana immediately drew their weapons, but the dragon's deep voice stopped them.

"Stay your weapons. I would speak with you, _Qahnaarin_ ," he addressed Green.

"I thought you were dead," Green carefully said, lowering his sword but not sheathing it.

Durnheviir shook his scaly head. "Cursed, not dead. Doomed to exist in this form for eternity. Trapped between _laas_ and _dinok_ , between life and death."

"Why are we speaking?" Green asked.

"I believe in civility between seasoned warriors, and I find your ear worthy of my words. My claws have rended the flesh of innumerable foes, but I have never once been felled in battle. I therefore honor-name you _Qahnaarin_ , or 'Vanquisher' in your tongue."

Green nodded. "I found you equally worthy."

"Your words do me great honor." Durnheviir tilted his head in respect. "My desire to speak with you was born from the result of our battle, _Qahnaarin_. I merely wish to respectfully ask a favor of you."

Green's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What kind of favor?"

"For countless years, I've roamed the Soul Cairn, in unintended service to the Ideal Masters. Before this, I roamed the skies above Tamriel. I desire to return there."

"What's stopping you?"

"I fear that my time here has taken its toll upon me. I share a bond with this dreaded place. If I ventured far from the Soul Cairn, my strength would begin to wane until I was no more."

"How could I help?"

"I will place my name with you and grant you the right to call my name from Tamriel. Do me this simple honor, and I will fight at your side as your Grah- _Zeymahzin_ , your ally, and teach you my Thu'um."

Green was still suspicious. "Just call your name in Tamriel? That's it?"

"Trivial in your mind, perhaps. For me, it would mean a great deal." When the dragon saw Green hesitating, he added, "I don't require an answer, _Qahnaarin_. Simply speak my name to the heavens when you feel the time is right."

Durnheviir nodded, and green and purple tendrils of light flowed from him and into Green. When the light was gone, Durnheviir flapped his wings and disappeared into the sky.

Serana stared at Green. He had told her he was Dragonborn, but today was the most she'd ever seen him shout or absorb dragon-power.

He looked at her. "Let's get moving."

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 **Hee hee hee. I've been ready for this next chapter for a long time. Buckle your seatbelts, ladies and gentlemen! I really hope (not in a mean way, I swear!) that this next chapter will have you screaming.**

 **Please Review!**


	15. Chapter 14

**I have been looking forward to this chapter for a long time. It was an idea when I first started writing this story, and now its here. Yay!**

 **Almost at 500 views, my dudes! Keep it up and please keep reading!**

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Marcurio stared at the gaping hole in the side of the cliff apprehensively. Large paw prints led into the cave, under a wooden sign with the letters _Bloated Man's Grotto_ scrawled across it. Who names a cave 'Bloated Man's Grotto?' It sounded disgusting, and he wasn't looking forward to what was waiting for them inside. Especially considering that a group of hunters had already beaten them to it, if the horses meandering nearby gave any indication.

He turned to Violet, who was studying the cave as well. "What do you think?"

"Huh?" She asked, snapping out of her thoughts to look at him. "I don't know."

That had been happening more and more lately. Before, Marcurio knew Violet as hard and focused. She would have studied the cave and figured out the perfect strategy for defeating the other hunters before even stepping foot inside.

Now, though, she was unfocused. Drifty. Marcurio assumed it was because of the wolf's whisperings in her ear, but sometimes he would catch her staring at him. He wasn't sure if that was good or bad. On one hand, the wolf wanted her to kill him. On the other, if the wolf wasn't influencing her all the time…that seemed to be a very good sign.

 _Focus,_ Marcurio told himself. He didn't have time to worry about such frivolities.

"The hunters have had a good head-start on us," Violet finally said. "Since they don't know we're coming, we should be able to catch them by surprise."

"You don't think they've killed Sinding already?" Marcurio asked her.

She shook her head. "There isn't much that can kill a werewolf. Trust me."

Violet unslung her bow from her back and entered the cave, and he had no choice but to follow her.

The first thing he noticed was the orange light that had enveloped the cave - which turned out to not be much of a cave at all. The more they walked into the cave, the more Marcurio could feel the wind on his face, even though that should have been impossible. They took a bend in the tunnel, and the answer suddenly revealed itself to him.

Bloated Man's Grotto was less of a _cave_ and more of a _clearing._ The cavern walls opened up to reveal a large meadow surrounded by cliffs and dotted with all sorts of colorful flowers. The perfumes from the flowers mixed together and created a wonderful scent. Overhead, a massive blood moon shone, even though Marcurio could have sworn that there were too many clouds to see the moon before they entered.

Oh, and there was a massacre in the middle of the clearing. There was that, too.

A ring of dead hunters lay around a smoldering campfire. Blood soaked the ground and squelched underneath Marcurio's boots. Many of their limbs were missing or lying far away, chewed to the bone.

Marcurio looked at Violet. She had told him that the smell of blood made it harder to resist the wolf, but she looked fine. In fact, she was looking right at one of the dead hunters…

…who wasn't dead at all. When Marcurio's eyes landed on the Khajit, the cat groaned.

"What happened here?" Violet asked.

"The prey is strong," the Khajit moaned. "Stronger than the hunters. But more will come. Bring him down, for the glory of Lord Hircine." The hunter took one more deep, shuddering breath, and then moved no more, un-breathing.

Marcurio closed the hunter's eyes and then looked to Violet.

"We have to help Sinding," she finally said. "He's being hunted for something he has no control over. It isn't right."

Marcurio nodded. He followed Violet, who was following large wolf prints on the ground, until they stood at the foot of a large cliff. Marcurio felt a strange prickling sensation on his neck, and when he looked up he nearly jumped out of his skin.

Overhead, a massive wolf stood, standing on two legs. Its fur was darker than coal at midnight and its claws looked perfectly capable of ripping a man apart in seconds. Its eyes were a sickly yellow, and only tattered trousers protected its modesty. It opened its mouth, but instead of a howl, a gutteral form of language came out.

"Never thought I'd see you again." The voice was deeper than before, but somehow Marcurio recognized it.

" _Sinding?_ " He demanded.

The werewolf nodded. "Aye."

"We've been told to kill you," Violet said.

"And I would deserve it, wouldn't I?" Sinding asked in that strange voice of his. "I can't stop you if that's what you want to do. Hircine is too powerful. But if you spare me, I can be a powerful ally to you. And I would promise to never return to civilized life." The wolf looked down at its feet, which was a very human action. "I know now that I can't live among people."

"Relax, Sinding," Violet said, sheathing her sword. "We're not here to kill you. We'll spare your life."

A strange breathing sound came from the werewolf, and Marcurio realized that Sinding must have sighed. "Thank the gods. Now let's deal with these other hunters. We hunt together!"

Sinding turned, and Marcurio and Violet had to rush up a set of stone stairs to catch up to him. The werewolf had already started moving, past an arch of stone and down another set of stairs.

There, an entire army of hunters awaited.

There had to have been at least seventy-five of them, and they were all waiting for Sinding. Luckily, they seemed surprised by Marcurio and Violet's entrances, and that gave Marcurio just enough time to send a wave of fire through the first line of hunters, killing five of them and jolting the others to their senses. Then the battle began in earnest.

Marcurio had been in many battles before - he was a sword for hire, after all - but never with so many enemies. Fortunately, he had a werewolf and a Dragonborn on his side, so the odds seemed good.

Sinding charged into the ranks of the hunters and was rewarded with a hail of arrows, some of them even managing to sink into his flesh. But the werewolf was remarkably resilient, not even bothering to wince. He tore into the hunters with savage abandon.

Violet and Marcurio fought side by side. Violet fought the hunters one on one with her glass sword, and every one of her opponents fell before her. Marcurio kept the rest at bay with his fire and other spells, until finally the hunters learned that the head-on approach was not going to work.

Marcurio saw it before she did. One of the hunters raised their bow and fired arrow after arrow at the pair, but Marcurio realized too late that all of the arrows were aimed for Violet, and by then there was nothing he could do.

He watched, as if in slow motion, as the arrows struck Violet's armor. Fortunately, most of them bounced off of the dark leather armor (which Marcurio found odd until he realized that her armor was enchanted) and settled harmlessly on the ground. Except for one.

The arrow was different from the others in that it was also obviously enchanted as well. It glimmered even as it struck Violet's armor, and then fizzled as the two enchantments canceled each other out. But that didn't stop the arrow from sinking into Violet's rib like she was a pincushion.

Everyone paused at the same time, even Sinding. Violet looked down at the arrow sticking out of her with shock filling her face. Then the sword dropped from her fingers and she fell to her knees, blood foaming on her lips.

As usual, Marcurio was the first to react. A mournful howl filled the grotto, and it took him a moment to realize that it belonged to him and not Sinding. Marcurio rushed forward and caught Violet in his arms as she fell backwards. One of the hunters, trying to take advantage, took a step forward, but with little more than a wave of his hand, Marcurio formed a wall of fire between them and him, roasting the brave hunter alive.

Violet had both hands curled around the arrow, but didn't pull it out. Marcurio wouldn't do it for her, not sure if that would make things better or worse. He couldn't heal the wound with the arrow in, but if he pulled it out, the wound might grow worse. Some things even magic couldn't heal.

Suddenly despair filled him. He hadn't realized how much he cared about Violet before that moment, but faced with the possibilty of living without her, and all her sarcastic comments, good deeds, and thoughtful insights, he suddenly found it hard to imagine his life without her. "No, no, no!"

Suddenly she grabbed his hand, her grip like a vice. She was muttering something that Marcurio couldn't hear over the crackle of flames, so he held his ear close to her lips to hear.

 _"Wolf. Back away. Wolf kills."_

Marcurio pulled away and looked at her confusedly, but he scrambled away when something began to happen to her body. It seemed to almost grow, her arms elongating into canine legs and her armor bursting away from her as she reached critical mass. The arrow snapped out of her body, bringing the arrowhead out with it, and Marcurio watched in amazement as the wound sealed itself and as the gray skin grew thick, black fur.

Violet shook her fur out and jumped to her feet, roaring so loudly that Marcurio was sure he would go deaf. She looked at him for a moment with her strange wolf-face and yellow eyes, and then turned and jumped straight into the fire, emerging on the other side unscathed. She tore into the remainder of the hunters relentlessly, and Marcurio just watched, his mouth hanging open, as she defeated them all.

Finally, the clearing was empty and all the hunters were dead. Sinding and Violet stood panting over the bodies in their wolf bodies, and Marcurio stared numbly at both of them.

Sinding was the first to transform, staggering into a shadowy crevice and re-emerging as his human self. Violet, however, needed more convincing.

The wolf's body stood, still growling, over the bodies of the hunters, and glared at Marcurio when he took a tentative island towards her.

He steeled his courage, which threatened to run away, and took another step towards her.

"Violet?" He asked. "It's over. All the hunters are dead. You can transform back now."

Violet just continued growling and even barked when he took another step forward.

Marcurio swallowed and tried to keep a straight face. No weakness.

"It's the ring," Sinding said quietly. "It's controlling her."

"No," Marcurio disagreed, studying the werewolf. "If it was, we'd both be dead. Violet is still in there somewhere."

He took another (albeit small) step forward. "Isn't that right, Violet?" The wolf made what almost sounded like a small whimper, and Marcurio took that as confirmation. "You're strong. The wolf said so itself, remember? You can beat it."

He was uncomfortably close to the werewolf now. If Violet wasn't in there, then he was in very real danger. But he trusted her. He knew she could beat it.

Slowly, he reached out and placed a hand on the shoulder of the big black wolf. The fur was surprisingly soft for a killing machine. As soon as he made contact with her, Violet began to shift back, a lot fast than she had first transformed, and she fell forward. More out of some strange instinct that he didn't recognize, Marcurio reached out and caught her in his arms. It was then that he realized that she was shaking and sobbing. She wasn't bleeding anymore (apparently the wolf had healed her), but she cried like she had been mortally wounded.

They stayed like that for a long time (during which Sinding stood awkwardly by, pilfering a shirt from one of the dead hunters) until Violet had enough strength and control to stop shaking.

Then, of course, Marcurio realized that she wasn't wearing a shirt.

He squeezed his eyes tightly shut as Violet pulled away. He heard her laugh at his uncomfortability and only looked at her when she gave Sinding and Marcurio the okay, having also stolen a shirt from one of the dead hunters.

"So that's what it like to change unwillingly," Violet finally said, more to herself than anything. She was still extremely pale, and Marcurio could see the part of the ground with her blood on it nearby. "Now I understand how Green feels."

"Thanks for your help," Sinding said. Violet and Marcurio looked at him. He had stolen more from the hunters, including armor and a sword. "I will make my home here, away from anyone else I might hurt."

"Are you sure you don't need anything else?" Marcurio asked. "We could stay to help you out, for a little while."

Sinding shook his head. "I don't want to burden you with that. Besides," he said, nodding towards the ring on Violet's finger, "don't you have more important matters to attend to?"

Violet nodded and looked at Marcurio. "We have to figure out a way to get this blasted thing off, even if I have to cut off a finger to do it."

 _That's fair,_ Marcurio thought. _That experience must have been really hard for her._

"Alright," he conceded. "Take care of yourself, Sinding."

They all said their goodbyes, and it was only once they were on their way out that Violet said, "Thank you."

Marcurio looked at her, confused. "For what?"

"You know…for helping me when I was…"

"Oh," he realized. "Yes, of course. You're welcome."

He looked away before she could see his smile, but by then they were out of the cave an in for another surprise.

The white stag was back. Well, not the stag itself, but its ghost. Or, well…Hircine possessing its ghost. Was that how it worked?

Before Marcurio had a chance to follow that thought, Hircine had spoken. "Well met again, hunter."

Violet crossed her arms, and Marcurio knew her well enough by then to know that she was absolutely livid, but trying not to show it. "I defy you and your vile tasks. Sinding will live."

The deer possessed by Hircine made a scoffing sound. "So you may think. By bringing down my other hunters, you turned the chase inside out. And they were no base prey." Hircine made a strange sound that Marcurio realized was laughter. He had been spending too much time talking to animals, lately. "You continue to amuse and impress. Go forth, with my blessing."

The image of the deer disappeared again, but its influence did not. Hircine's Ring floated off of Violet's finger and glowed in a light so bright that Marcurio was blinded for a few moments before landing back in her palm. Just looking at it, he could tell it was…cleaner. Like it had received a spiritual wash.

"What just happened?" He asked.

Violet was grinning from ear to ear. "That jerk just blessed the ring. It's not cursed anymore!"

And then she was hugging him tightly, and Marcurio couldn't help but grin as well as he returned it.

When she pulled away, she wasn't looking at him, her face as red as a beet. "S-sorry."

Marcurio tried to tell her that it really was alright, but the words wouldn't come out. Instead, he changed the subject. "So what now?"

"Now," a thickly accented voice said, "you give us that ring."

Violet and Marcurio turned in unison, drawing their weapons and readying their magic. They were faced with three men and a woman in the strangest armor that Marcurio had ever seen. The armor was clearly made of steel and Nord craftsmanship, but instead of being emblazoned with a bear (the typical Nord symbol) they were marked with the sign of a wolf.

Oh, no.

Marcurio recognized them even as Violet demanded hotly, "Who are you?"

"We're the bloody Companions," the woman said. Her hair was bright red, and she had three black lines painted down her face, like a claw had scratched her. She held a wicked looking bow in her hands. "And that ring is our right."

"Well, tough," Violet said, making Marcurio wince. "You're going to have to fight us for it."

"We're not stupid enough to kill you," an older man said. "If you possess that ring, you obviously have Lord Hircine's blessing. No one crosses Lord Hircine."

 _Except us,_ Marcurio thought, wondering if this was Hircine's idea of punishment.

"We're not going to just _give_ it to you, if that's what you're thinking," Violet tersely said.

"We don't need you to _give_ it to us," a dumb-looking man with long, black hair said. "We'll just take it."

The woman with the bow moved so fast that Marcurio didn't even have time to register what happened before he felt a sharp sting in his neck. He barely saw the small dart sticking out of his neck before the world suddenly spun and he was on the ground. He heard Violet collapse next to him and vaguely saw them take the ring from her palm before darkness took him.

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 **Mu-ha-ha. I miss writing plot twists. Here's one to keep y'all on your toes!**

 **Please review! When I hit 500 views _and_ 10 reviews, I'll add a bonus chapter. **


	16. Chapter 15

***cracks neck* Alright, dudes, I currently have 580 views and 8 reviews. Two more reviews, and I will add a bonus chapter! It's actually pretty important to the storyline, so I need two more reviews before I can post it. If all goes according to plan, I should post it in about...three or four chapters(ish).**

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Green emerged from the portal to the Soul Cairn feeling whole again for the first time in hours. They had made a quick stop for his soul on the way back, and he felt better than ever. Save for the gash in his forehead, of course. They hadn't stopped to heal it, being too preoccupied, and by the time they remembered it had already scabbed over, rendering it immune to healing.

 _On the bright side,_ he thought, stepping up the Soul Cairn's stairs. _At least I'll have a cool scar._

He waited at the top of the tier of Valerica's lab for Serana to come up the steps. She had been unusually silent, but Green had chalked that up to not being able to take Valerica back with them. He still wanted to check to make sure she was alright, though.

"Are you alright?" He asked her.

She didn't look at him. "Yes."

Green wasn't convinced. "Do…does it bother you that we're working against your father?"

She responded immediately, and Green knew he must have struck somewhere close to the truth. "I can't say it surprises me. I kind of figured we were headed for this some day." Then, more quietly, "I just didn't know when."

Green tried his best to be sympathetic and business-like at the same time. It was difficult. "Will it be hard for you if we have to kill him?"

"If?" Serana asked. "I've been assuming that's where all this is going. I've been trying to make my peace with it." She looked at their surroundings, seemingly realizing where they were. "Come on. We can talk about this another time."

He nodded, accepting that as a good answer, and walked over to a door by the table of bones. "Where does this lead?"

"I think there used to be a balcony there." Serana replied, joining him. "Then, of course, my father sealed it off."

Green's eyes lit up, and Serana could see the mischievous gears turning in his head. He opened the door, and cold air rushed into the room, extinguishing several candles. He looked at her. "Want to make a dramatic exit?"

Not exactly knowing where he was going with that, but willing to make her father squirm, she smiled. "Of course."

Green led her out to the balcony, looked down at the ground below, and nodded satisfactorily. Then he took a deep breath, pointed his head towards the sky, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "OD AH VIING!"

For a long moment, nothing happened. Then, in the distance, a sound that Serana recognized.

Wings.

Then a speck that quickly grew larger. It was only when it flew around the castle several times that Serana got a good look at the dragon.

It was bigger than Durnheviir had been, with dark red scales and snow-white wings. It stopped its circling of the tower to hover in front of the small balcony. It opened its mouth, and instead of fire a deep voice spoke. _"Drem Yol Lok, Dovah."_

Green smiled awkwardly. "My dovah speech is still in the works, Odahviing. You'll have to sink to my level."

Serana could have sworn the dragon rolled its eyes. "Of course, Dragonborn. What do you wish of me?"

"We need transport." Green said, gesturing to himself and Serana.

At the mention of a second party member, Odahviing turned to look at Serana, his nostrils flaring. It was almost like he was…smelling her.

"This one is strong," the dragon finally said. "Good mating material. You chose well, Dovah."

As if on cue, Serana and Green both coughed so hard that they almost hacked up their lungs. Both of their faces were extremely red.

"You've got it all wrong, Odahviing!" Green exclaimed. "It's not like that."

Odahviing rolled his silver eyes to heaven. "Humans and their lies."

 _"Odahviing!"_

"Fine, of course. I will transport you and your…not-mate. Where do you wish to go?"

Green looked at Serana, his face still a little red. "Ready to get the final Elder Scroll?"

"You know where it is?" She asked him.

"Of course," he said, matter of factly. "I saved the world with it once. It's in Cyrodiil."

Serana frowned, more surprised than anything. "Why Cyrodiil?"

Green looked away. "It's a long story."

Finally, she nodded. "Alright. Let's go get that last scroll."

At the cue, Odahviing turned in midair, sending wind slamming into Green and Serana, so that his back was facing them. With a little maneuvering, the dragon's back was ready to be mounted.

Green stepped onto the scaly hide confidently, placing his feet in one of the grooves in Odahviing's back. He turned to Serana, holding out a hand gallantly.

She hesitated. Horses, carriages, and boats were one thing. But dragons? What if Odahviing suddenly decided to dump them in the middle of their flight, hundreds of feet in the air?

As if sensing her doubts, Green looked her in the eyes. "Trust me," he said.

Finally, after a long moment, Serana nodded and took his hand, stepping carefully behind him. With a little shifting, they were firmly seated on the dragon's back. Once Odahviing started moving, flapping his giant wings and launching into the sky, however, Serana was forced to grab Green around the waist to keep from falling off.

Overall, it was not an unpleasant experience. Who knows, maybe Serana would even enjoy the trip.

 **x x x**

Serana did not enjoy the trip.

While certain aspects of it were enjoyable, like seeing the world from above for the first time, or holding Green around the waist, or how short the trip was (an hour at most), others were not so nice.

For starters, it was _freezing_. Even to Serana, who had grown used to being cold, found the experience unpleasant. She could feel Green shaking from the temperature drop under her hands. Also, Odahviing was _fast_. Which also meant that Serana and Green had nothing to protect their eyes from the wind slicing at their face and eyes. Serana was forced to bury her face in Green's back (purely to protect her face, of course).

Fortunately, the trip was over as soon as it started. With little more than a small roar so as not to terrify the locals, Odahviing set them down outside of a small village, per Green's instructions. Then he flew away into the sky so that no one would notice him.

Was it possible for the ground to be even more cold than the sky? Because that was what it felt like. Serana began to shiver, which she never did, but Green seemed warmer now that they were on the surface.

He noticed Serana's shivering and instantly pulled his cloak off his shoulders and around hers.

"B-b-but the cold!" Serana protested.

Green just shrugged. "I'm used to this weather. Now come on. The Elder Scroll is this way."

Serana sighed and followed, not bothering to protest further. She was too cold.

There was definitely something about the small town they were in that Green wasn't telling her. For one, Green drew his hood down so far that she wasn't even sure how he could see. At first, she thought it was because of the cold, but then she realized, as they drew closer to the village that he didn't want anyone to see his face. He also moved through the streets with distinct familiarity. It was more than just a hiding place to him; he knew this place well.

Bruma was a town on a mountaintop with torches burning at all corners of the city to melt the snow. It had high walls and what looked like a tall church steeple in the center of it. The guards, dressed in yellow and emblazoned with the symbol of an eagle, only looked suspiciously at them once as they entered the town, which was an improvement over Skyrim.

"Where are we going?" Serana whispered to Green, trying her best to keep pace with him.

"Burned down blacksmithery," he replied. "We're almost there."

Serana nodded, but was secretly troubled. She was used to everyone else keeping secrets from her, but not Green. She liked to think she knew him pretty well, and he her, but she had no idea that he could harbor this kind of secret.

Finally, they reached their destination. It was a large building with a charred and blackened husk, with the structure still somehow stable. The roof was even still intact. Green looked around them once before entering the burned doorway of the building, and Serana had no choice but to follow.

The inside of the blacksmithery was even more depressing than the outside. Everything was charred and burned beyond repair save the forge, which still glowed faintly. With a snap of his fingers, Green sent a fireball at it, igniting it and instantly warming up the room. However, he just froze a little past the doorway and did not advance further. He seemed to be a million miles away, his eyes flicking all over the place, stuck in some unseen memory.

"Hey," Serana eventually said, softly, touching his arm.

He physically flinched and then relaxed as he realized it was just her. He stared at a dark patch of liquid on the dark floorboards and then closed his eyes, breathing deeply.

Alright, time for answers, Serana thought. However, she decided to start small. They could work their way up. It was obviously hard for him to be there, and she wanted to make it easy for him.

"You know," she started. The light from the burning forge cast eerie shadows on the blacksmithery's walls, "I never asked you about your name."

"What about it?" Green asked, eyes still closed, his body tense.

"How did you get it?" Serana asked. His parents couldn't have named him. Unless he had some strange sibling he wasn't telling her about, it had to be a nickname.

Green instantly opened his eyes, and his body tensed even further. He turned around to face her, away from the forge, and his expression was dark. "That's a…rather long story."

"I want to hear it," Serana said, smiling when she realized that they were repeating themselves.

Green sighed, and sat on the ashy floor. "I guess now is as good a time to tell you as any." He was still tense, but he seemed to seem a little more relaxed as he talked.

Serana sat next to him, being careful not to sit too close - but not too far away, either. She waited for him to gather his thoughts.

Finally, he spoke.

"Remember what I told you about my parents?" Green said. "How I never knew them?"

Serana nodded. How could she not? It was one of the things they had in common - sort of.

Green frowned, staring at the charcoal-stained wall in front of him. "What I said was true. But in a way, I did kind of have a father.

"I was abandoned on a sheep cart when I was just a baby in the city of Bruma - this city. As you can tell, it's a cold place - they always have to keep torches burning in the corners of the city to keep people from freezing to death. A blacksmith by the name of Zechariah found me and took me under his wing. In many ways, it was ideal: Zechariah lived alone, and needed an apprentice anyways. For sixteen years, he mentored me. He taught me everything I know about blacksmithing. He taught me here, actually. This used to be our forge.

"Of course, 'With age comes problems.' That was something he used to say. When I was old enough to carry a sword, he started to train me how to fight - which of course caught the eye of one of the local bandit gangs roaming the area. They tried to recruit me, and I refused. In retaliation, they decided to beat me into submission. It never worked. I would always either fight them off or hide."

Green's voice began to shake. Not knowing why, Serana laid one of her hands over his. He smiled in appreciation and continued. He was still staring at the wall.

"One day, after hiding from these bandits, I returned to Zechariah's forge, only to discover that he had…that he had been…well, killed. One of the bandits from the gang was still hanging around, and he attacked me when I wasn't looking. He was actually the Bandit Chief, the one they called 'Emerald-Eye,' because of the way he liked to kill people. He would dip his fingers in poison and get it in his opponent's eyes. The poison was so potent it could only be placed there. That was how he killed Zechariah. Anyways, he attacked and tried to do the same to me."

Green turned to her and gestured to the green marks on his face. Serana had assumed that it had been war-paint, but…

"The attack left me scarred, but I defeated him. He was the first person I ever killed." Green's eyes were misty, and he still wouldn't look at her. "Of course, the guards blamed me for Zechariah's murder, so I had to run away. And I ended up in Skyrim." He chuckled to himself. "My friend Hadvar was the one who nicknamed me 'Green.' And it stuck."

Serana opened her mouth and shut it a few times, trying to find the right words to say. Finally, she settled on, "I'm sorry. I wouldn't have asked if I had known how painful it was for you."

Green finally looked at her, smiling slightly. "It's alright. You were just curious. There's no harm in that."

Serana shook her head, feeling the need to apologize for putting him through pain. "No it's not, it's…"

Green squeezed her hand, somehow knowing that would shut her up. She paused, looking at their hands. His skin, pale to anyone else, seemed tan compared to hers. His hand was surprisingly soft for a warrior.

Serana knew she should pull away - even though she didn't want to - but there was still one thing she needed to know.

"What's your real name?" She asked, looking up at him and meeting his eyes.

That smile was still on his face. Warmth filled her.

"Thomas," he said quietly. "My name is Thomas."

After a moment, Green stood. He held out a hand for Serana to do the same, and she took it. He turned back to the forge, and seemed less affected by it this time. With only a small shudder, he walked over to the blood stain in the floorboards and held his palm over it, glowing with a pale blue light. After a moment, a single floorboard glowed in response. When he was done, he pried the board loose with a dagger and placed it next to him. Then he stuck his hand in up to the arm, digging around for something.

"We used to hide our valuables down here," Green explained, pulling his hand back out.

And there, in his hand, was the third and final Elder Scroll. It glowed with a soft golden light, just like the others, but there was a…cleanness to it. Just by looking at it, Serana could tell that its message was not as dark as the others they had collected.

Green handed it to her, and she placed it on her back. He placed the floorboard back, and recast the spell over it.

"Let me get this straight," Serana said, rubbing her forehead. "You hid an _Elder Scroll_ under a _floorboard_?"

He shrugged. "It was protected by a spell. Besides, if an Elder Scroll doesn't want to be found, it won't be found."

"Fair enough," She agreed. "Now come on. Let's get these scrolls to Dexion."

x x x

Green took a long drink of the wine. Sometimes he wished _he_ was blind.

Of course, Dexion was the one who received that honor, leaving Green with the duty of reading not one, not two, but _three_ Elder Scrolls.

He took another drink straight from the bottle. He had read from a scroll before, to stop Alduin, and it had not been a pleasant experience. Beyond watching the heroes of old betray the ones in the future, it was actually quite painful. Afterwards, he couldn't feel his extremities for a while.

And now he had to do it again. Yay.

Green tried to take another drink, but then found that it was empty.

It was for the best. He needed to be able to think at least a little clearly before they set out in the morning.

It was currently somewhere around two in the morning in the Dawnguard fort and Green had tried to fall asleep for some time before giving up and heading for one of the bottles of wine that Isran secretly kept with the trolls.

He stood from the dining table and turned to go to the sleeping quarters, only a little drunk despite drinking a whole bottle of wine, only to bump straight into Agmaer.

The younger man bounced off of Green and onto the floor, and for his credit only grunted. This was a different boy than the one Green had met a few months ago.

"Sorry," Green said, offering Agmaer a hand up.

Agmaer considered the hand and pushed it aside with a sound of disgust before standing on his own.

Green frowned. Had he done something to offend the lad? He hadn't been back to the fort long enough to do that. So what was bothering the boy?

The answer came out fast enough. "You're disgusting," Agmaer spat, walking past Green and knocking his shoulder forcefully.

Normally, Green would have reacted a lot better, but to be fair, he was also a little drunk. That loosened his tongue a little bit.

"What the hell do you mean?" He demanded.

Agmaer turned to face him, rage naked on his face. "You're disgusting," he repeated, "for hanging around with that vampire filth."

"Wha - Serana?" Green said, taking a step back from surprise. "She's been helping us. We need her to help us defeat her father."

"No, we don't." Agmaer crossed his arms. "We haven't needed her since she brought us the first Elder Scroll."

"That's not true!" Green protested, anger rising in him like a fire, only heightened by the alcohol. "I needed her help to sneak into Castle Volkihar to get the second Elder Scroll!"

Agmaer shook his head. "We could have figured it out ourselves. We don't need her. We don't want her. You should have killed her long ago." He spat on Green's boots. "You don't deserve that uniform."

Agmaer took a step back as Green took one forward, his glowing green eyes ablaze with fury.

"Take that back," Green said quietly, but not without a certain edge to his voice.

Agmaer visibly swallowed, but stood his ground. In fact, he took a step forward.

"The vampire should die," he said. "If you won't do it, I will."

He tried to walk around Green, but he was interrupted by the older man's fist crashing into his face, sending Agmaer staggering backwards.

Green returned his fist to his side, (it throbbed painfully from where it had collided with Agmaer's face) figuring that was the end of it, but was thoroughly surprised when Agmaer roared and rushed forward, tackling Green to the floor with a massive _thud!_

Agmaer punched Green once, twice, three times, and had pulled his fist back for a fourth when Green kicked the boy from behind, sending him crashing to the floor.

Green punched Agmaer once, their positions reversed, and drew his arm back for a second, only to stop. Agmaer was just a boy; he was acting foolishly like Green had when he was a boy.

Still, Green's anger screamed for him to bring the fist down to teach the boy a lesson, but suddenly images flashed through Green's mind that he couldn't stop.

Him, as a 13-year-old boy, cowering in Bruma's streets as the bandits around him laughed and beat him.

Him, as a 16-year-old boy, hiding from the bandits in their stables like a clever coward.

Him, finding Zechariah's body, and suddenly finding himself confronted by his main tormentor as he was ambushed.

Green couldn't do it. He just couldn't.

He growled in frustration but climbed off of Agmaer, granting him mercy. Too late, it seemed. Green looked around him only to find that the entire Dawnguard was watching him, their expressions ranging from shock to rage. Even Serana was there, looking confused. Green wouldn't look at her. He didn't want her to see the anger remaining in him.

Isran stepped out of the crowd, his body taut with fury. "You three. My quarters. Now." He pointed to Agmaer, Green, and Serana.

Green tried his best to keep his head high, but he could feel his face swelling and it hurt when the sudden movement of his head forced air into his face. He was going to have a black eye in the morning.

When they reached Isran's quarters (which were as spartan as they could get) the Leader of the Dawnguard spun suddenly, glaring at all three of them.

He pointed at Agmaer first. "Explain."

The boy stood up straighter. Blood stained his uniform from the bloody nose that Green had inflicted.

"I put Green his place," Agmaer said. "I told him he was a disgrace to the Dawnguard for harboring vampire filth." He nodded towards Serana.

Serana growled in anger and took a step towards Agmaer, but Green stopped her with an arm. The message was clear: _enough damage has been done_.

Isran crossed his arms. "That vampire may be filth, boy, but she's valuable filth. She's an asset. You will not interfere like this again. Understood?"

Agmaer visibly deflated and Green couldn't help a small smirk. "Yes, Isran."

"Very good. You may go." As soon as Agmaer was out of the room, Isran turned his silver eyes towards Green. "You. Step forward."

Green did as he was commanded and tried to breathe through his nose so that Isran couldn't smell the wine on his breath.

"Get your emotions under control, boy," Isran snapped. He pointed to Serana to prove a point. "I will tell you the same thing I told Agmaer. She. Is. An. Asset. Nothing more, nothing less. You have to keep your emotions in check. Do you understand?"

Green remained stubbornly silent.

Isran sighed. "Dismissed. Both of you. I want the two of you to find this 'Ancestor Glade' and you will not come back until you have Auriel's Bow in your possession."

Green nodded, and so did Serana, and Isran sighed as he watched them leave. The two had obviously developed a rapport in their travels together, and Isran had expected as much. However, he would have thought Green would have been smarter than to develop feelings for a vampire. That was the one thing Isran hadn't anticipated, and he had anticipated everything.

Oh, well. All he needed from them was Auriel's Bow. If things advanced further between them after that, he did have an entire fort full of trained killers, after all.

Secretly, he hoped it wouldn't come to that.

* * *

 **Please Review!**


	17. Chapter 16

**I have returned! Sorry I took so long in updating this week, guys. I had a mountain of homework to conquer, and I just didn't have enough time to sit down and write. Sorry.**

 **Anyways. The Bonus Chapter shall be posted in about four-ish chapters. Be patient with me, please: the order in which I post is important.**

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Violet woke with a massive headache.

Unlike her brother Green, Violet had spent a lot of their early days in Skyrim drinking, especially after witnessing the Horror of Helgen, so the feeling was not alien to her. In fact, it felt rather like a hangover.

What _did_ feel strange to her, however, was the feeling of someone's arms wrapped around her.

Instantly, she froze, defense reflexes kicking in. She prepared to kick whoever had her captive in their sensitive spot, but then a massive sigh from her detainer revealed who it was.

She immediately relaxed, and then confused herself. How was it so easy for her to be relaxed in Marcurio's arms?

He was obviously still asleep, otherwise she was sure she would have felt him tense up like she did. Not wanting to get up (purely because of the headache, of course), she took a moment to observe their surroundings.

They were laying on an orange bed-roll somewhere in a small clearing. It seemed to be midday, judging from the amount of light in the grotto, and a campfire burned nearby.

Violet squeezed her eyes shut when the sunlight worsened her headache. Obviously, they were still in Bloated Man's Grotto, but how did they get there?

It was hard to think with Marcurio's arms around her. It was hard to think around him, period.

She wasn't sure when it had started, but she definitely noticed when she stopped thinking as much about her guilt regarding her brother and more about her follower.

It was frustrating, yet…almost a relief. Her entire life, Violet had always been focused on the task at hand, and not the frivolities associated with life. It was much easier to remain focused that way. Before she had rediscovered her brother (they were separated upon his birth; for years she thought he was dead), she had been a bard at some random inn that she forgot the name of. She wasn't half-bad at it, either. She still knew how to play the lute quite well. Focus had always helped her in that endeavor. It had especially helped when she and Green had fought Alduin, the evil dragon who had threatened the entire world.

However, too much focus was also a bad thing, and she had found that out the hard way when extreme boredom struck after Alduin's defeat. That same boredom had been the initial cause of the argument that had chased Green away.

And now she was thinking about her guilt again. Violet tried to backtrack; she would much rather think about Marcurio (a fact that surprised her), but a sudden tensing of his body alerted her to the fact that he was awake.

For some unknown reason, Violet closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.

Behind her, she felt him shift, but he did not attempt to "wake" her. In fact, unless she was imagining things, he actually pulled her _closer_ , if just by a little bit.

A feeling familiar to her by now filled her body with a strange jittery feeling, like she had just electrocuted herself. But in a good way.

Okay, maybe that wasn't the best way to think about it. But the fact remained that Violet didn't mind the feeling. In fact, if someone hadn't approached loudly, their feet snapping twigs and crunching leaves, she might have done something she would have regretted later.

Instantly, both of them tensed, giving up the pretense of sleep, but the voice that spoke was familiar.

"Wake up, both of you. You've got business to attend to," Sinding said.

Rather awkwardly, Violet and Marcurio extricated themselves from each other, avoiding eye contact and blushing furiously.

 _And now focus would be good_ , Violet thought, but her mind would not obey, flushing her face with heat instead.

Eventually Marcurio had the sense to ask what happened.

"You were ambushed on your way out of the grotto," Sinding said matter-of-factly. "I heard a commotion but by the time I got there, you were both knocked out and the ring was gone."

Instantly, Violet remembered, and her focus came back remarkably fast.

"It was the Companions," she said, searching for her sword. Sinding pointed to a pile of weaponry in the corner of the grotto; he had clearly collected all the weapons of the deceased hunters and added their weapons to the pile.

"They wanted the Ring of Hircine," Marcurio agreed. "But why?"

"They're werewolves, obviously." Sinding said. Marcurio and Violet stared at him. "What? I could smell the curse on them even after they left."

Violet shook her head, buckling on her weapon. "If that's true, then we're in deep trouble. Even _I_ thought the Companions were formidable in combat, and that's without the power of the wolf."

Marcurio sighed. "We're not going to let them go, are we?"

"Hell no," Violet said. "No one steals from me and gets away with it."

"Aren't you a thief?"

Violet glared at him. "Your point?"

"I cannot help you," Sinding said. "I can't leave this place without endangering innocents."

"That's okay, Sinding," Violet reassured him. "We can handle this on our own."

 _I hope,_ she added to herself.

 **x x x**

Marcurio had been to Whiterun a few times, but never in such a ridiculous disguise.

He was wearing the clothes of a minstrel, with a lute on his back and a hood over his face. The idea was so that none of the Companions, should they leave Jorrvaskr, would recognize him, but he still felt ridiculous.

Violet, on the other hand, looked right at home in her bard's clothes and lute. She still had her sword, of course - bards these days were hardly ever unarmed. She also had a hood over her head.

The guards barely paid any attention to them as they entered the city, and Violet _hmm_ ed to herself.

"I should wear this disguise more often," Marcurio heard her mutter.

They passed the blacksmithery and entered the Wind District without any problems. However, they both stopped when Jorrvaskr came in sight.

Obviously, they were expected. Jorrvaskr was not fortified with guards, but with Companions. They wouldn't have been obvious to someone who was not a warrior. To a merchant, it might just look like the Companions had decided to gather and chat outside. To two warriors like Marcurio and Violet, it was blatant that the Companions had been put on guard.

"Time for a distraction?" Marcurio asked his companion.

Violet nodded. "Time for a distraction."

They had agreed before they had arrived that if Marcurio created enough of a ruckus in front of Jorrvaskr, the Companions might come down to help subdue him. While he was keeping everyone occupied, Violet would sneak into the building and steal the ring back, then be gone before they knew what was happening.

Marcurio dug into his satchel and pulled out a small potion that was purple in color and weighed more than a potion should. He handed it to Violet.

"This should help you find the Ring," he told her. "Just follow the path it lights up for you, and you should be able to find it."

"Thank you," Violet said, pocketing the bottle. She looked at him. "Just…be careful, alright? Don't get yourself killed."

"I won't," Marcurio promised. He straightened his posture in what he hoped was a confident manner. "My skills in battle are unmatched, remember?"

She smiled a small smile, then leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. Then she ran off, and was gone.

He felt the spot on his cheek with his free hand for a moment, then took a breath to steel himself. Then he wrapped himself in a wall of fire and started shouting at the top of his lungs, jumping on top of a bench.

Instantly, the guards and some of the Companions were upon him.

He just hoped that would be enough of a distraction for Violet.

Meanwhile, Violet jumped over the wall that led to Jorrvaskr and ducked into the shadows when a group of Companions ran past her, towards the courtyard. When she was confident that they were past and hadn't seen her, she pulled the potion that Marcurio had given her out of her pocket and downed it in one swig.

Instantly, she felt the ingredients working. A blue line shot forward from her chest and pointed to the right, past the entrance to the Hall of the Companions and towards…a stone wall?

Violet approached the wall stealthily. That couldn't be right. Could Marcurio have mixed the ingredients wrong?

She inspected the wall warily. As the Leader of the Thieves Guild, she knew that there was always another secret. The wall had to be a secret entrance of some sort; maybe one that some of the Companions didn't want the others to know about?

She felt around the base of the stone wall, and then felt a small button near the bottom. Possibly for someone to step on? She pressed it, and was awarded with a sudden rumbling as a portion of the stone wall lowered.

Violet glanced around in alarm, sure that someone must have heard that, but nobody came to investigate, probably still busied with Marcurio's distraction.

She slipped inside and the wall quickly shut behind her.

Instantly she was amazed by the small cave that she found herself in. A bowl that seemed to be carved out of the stone of the cave sat in the middle of the small room, empty. Three small pedestals stood around it, filled with strange totems that Violet could instantly tell were from Hircine, used to advance Lycanthropy. She ignored them for the moment. One one of the smaller pedestals in the corner was her prize. The Ring of Hircine sat on a small wooden box, surrounded by gems and gold coins. Violet snatched them all, placing them in her small satchel. Suddenly, however, she heard the stone wall roll open again, and barely had time to duck into a small dark corner before three people entered.

Violet recognized them, but luckily they didn't see her. The red-haired woman from before and the two dark-haired men entered the cave, looking troubled.

"What's all the ruckus out there, Aela?" The dumb-looking one asked.

Aela shrugged. "Just some Stormcloak Mage making a protest."

Violet smiled grimly to herself. That was the persona they had created for Marcurio. Whiterun had not picked a side in the Civil War, so the city was filled with supporters for both sides. A Stormcloak making a ruckus would be sure to draw attention.

"I don't like it," The smart looking of the brothers said. "It stinks of a distraction."

"Why do you think we're checking the Underforge, Vilkas?" Aela rolled her silver eyes. "Nobody is here. I don't smell anything."

Violet allowed herself to relax a touch. Since she was also a werewolf, she would be smelled a mile away. She had bathed in mud beforehand to disguise her scent, and it seemed to be working.

"We need to talk about them," Aela continued. "They're getting bolder."

"Who?" The dumb one asked. "The Silver Hand?"

"No, Farkas." Vilkas sighed. "The Vampires. Haven't you been paying attention?"

Farkas looked down. "No."

"They've been attacking small settlements in the Rift," Aela said. "We've been hired by the Dawnguard to help. They're spread too thinly."

 _Interesting,_ Violet thought. _Hadn't Green been looking at a pamphlet for the Dawnguard before he left?_ That warranted some more thought. But first, she had to get out of there.

She looked down the corridor she was hiding in and saw a small amount of natural light filtering in from outside.

Slowly and very carefully, she moved towards the exit, but when Vilkas spoke, she froze.

"It's a good thing they locked up that stupid Stormcloak," the werewolf said. "He was getting annoying."

"We should question him," Aela agreed. "He might have some useful information."

Violet felt herself go cold. She couldn't let Marcurio rot in prison. He didn't deserve that. And if the Companions did bring him in for questioning, they would recognize him, and they would kill him.

Crap.

* * *

 **Please review, my dudes.**

 **Lame joke of the week: You know why bananas don't get angry? They don't find it a-peeling!**


	18. Chapter 17

**This chapter is really long, but I think I like it. Thanks for the reviews, by the way, guys. Appreciate it.**

 **Also, I might come up with more lame jokes of the day. Maybe.**

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Serana stared at the inside of the Ancestor Glade disappointedly. Was that it?

Ancestor Glade was a small cave with a few pine trees and a log spread between two rises in the dirt. She had expected something…grander.

"Hmph…not very impressive, is it? If this turns out to be a wasted trip," she told Green, "your friend Dexion and I are going to have some words."

Green snorted from inside his new Dawnguard helmet, and she imagined him rolling his eyes. "He never said it was glamorous. Come on. I bet it's just inside this cave."

He started off, and Serana followed him. He had taken to wearing the helmet almost all the time, now. She suspected that he was ashamed of the black eye that he had been given, but she didn't say anything. It wasn't really her place.

She knew what he had done for her, and she was grateful. She was perfectly capable of defending her own reasons for being there, of course, but if she had, she would have been killed for assaulting one of the Dawnguard members. So in the end, she was grateful. She just didn't know how to tell him that.

Green stepped on one of the mini-cliffs and onto the log, adroitly crossing and ending up on the other side without a problem. Serana crossed with a little more difficulty, but not much. Together they walked towards a small opening in the cave wall.

They walked through the small tunnel, saying nothing. Serana, for one, was grumpy. She had expected much greater things than…

"Wow," she said.

It was unlike anything she had ever seen before. Several waterfalls flowed into a small stream at the bottom of a small cliff. Tall pine trees grew larger than many of the buildings that she had seen, and vibrant flowers filled the place with color and a sweet smell.

"Look at this place," she told Green, who was no doubt staring at the glade with awe. "No one's been here in centuries. I doubt there's any other place like it in Skyrim."

"It's beautiful," Green agreed. For the first time in days, he took off his helmet to get a good look at the scenery.

Serana took a moment to examine the bruise. It wasn't anywhere near as bad as before, the color a soft violet, versus before when it was an angry purple.

They took a few more minutes to gape at their surroundings, then they started down the hill. Around them, moths (Serana thought that they had to have been the Ancestor Moths) flew around their heads. As they reached the bottom, she noticed a strange light shining on a small elevated rock. It was almost…like a stage.

"Have you ever seen anything like this?" Green asked her.

Serana shook her head. "It's not like anything else in Skyrim, I can tell you that much. From now or…before." They hesitated at the base of a small pool of water, then continued, the liquid sloshing under their feet. "There are probably groves like this all over Tamriel. Most people just don't know what to look for."

They came to a stop before the pillar of light, and Green frowned as he pulled the draw knife out of his pack. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Dexion said we need to use bark from a Canticle tree," Serana said, pointing to a small, winding tree at the base of the pool of water they stood in.

He nodded and walked over to the tree, grunting with the effort of scraping the bark off. Soon, though, he had a piece of bark as big as his hand. He held it up to Serana.

"I hope those moths like that bark as much as Dexion said they would," she said.

"Alright," Green said, sounding apprehensive. He held out the bark in front of him and walked towards a swarm of moths. "Here, mothy-mothies!"

Serana snorted as the group he had approached began to swirl around his head. He looked uncomfortable when one landed on top of his head, but to his credit did not shoo it away. "Look at them. They've definitely taken a liking to you." She frowned as they light caught on him. "And unless I'm seeing things, you're starting to…glimmer."

They gathered two more swarms of moths before he seemed to grow annoyed.

"Damn moths!" He said to Serana. "Why are they doing that?"

Serana couldn't control her laugh. "They seem quite taken to you now that you're carrying some of the tree bark." She laughed again, and he glared at her. "I guess we should have seen this coming. Moth priests…moths…they're apparently related in some way. Couldn't hurt to gather more, I suppose."

"You're not the one with a gajillion moths flying around your head," Green grumbled as he finally shooed away the moth on his head. It just flew around for a little bit before landing on the same spot and bringing two other moths with it. Serana laughed again.

He turned back to her. "How many more?"

"Well," she started, frowning as she thought. "Unless my vision's playing tricks, there seems to be some sort of magical affect around you. Seems like we're on the right track. Otherwise, I don't have the faintest idea."

He grinned at her. "At least these moths think I'm attractive."

Serana rolled her eyes. "They'd be the only ones."

"Liar."

"Weirdo."

"Nord."

"Moth-man."

"Castle-woman."

"Icebrain."

That ridiculous grin was still on his face, and despite herself, Serana found herself grinning back. She quickly wiped the look off her face and pointed to the next moth swarm. "Moths."

He sighed and trudged up the hill to continue collecting bugs.

Somewhere after the seventh cluster gathered around him, Serana froze in place. He was glowing so brightly he might as well have been a sun. She couldn't look directly at him without harming her eyes.

"Woah!" She said, shielding her eyes. "I think that may have been what we were waiting for." She looked back down at the pillar of light. "Let's head back down there and see if we can read the scrolls."

By the time they reached the bottom, Green looked very nervous. In fact, Serana could have sworn he was sweating.

He paused in front of the stone stage and did not look like he was going to advance. He visibly swallowed.

"Hey," Serana said, reaching through the swarm of moths to touch his arm comfortingly. "I'll be right here the entire time if something goes wrong."

He nodded, smiled at her, and stepped into the pillar of light with three Elder Scrolls. Taking a deep breath, he held the first one in front of him and read it.

Instantly, his entire body tensed. Serana almost took a step forward, but interrupting the process might hurt him worse than the scrolls could.

With a great effort, he read the other two scrolls. With each one opened, the pillar of light brightened until finally it was at a point where Serana had to put both hands over her eyes to keep from going blind.

Suddenly, the light went out. Serana tentatively uncovered her eyes only to see Green standing as still as a statue save for the severe shaking that wracked his body. His skin was so white that it almost seemed to glow.

Finally, he took a deep, shuddering breath, and collapsed.

Luckily Serana was fast enough to catch him before his head collided with the ground. He was shuddering and shaking like a madman, and his eyes were fluttering like he was having a nightmare.

Serana hugged him tightly to her in an attempt to get the shaking to stop, then realized that she was shaking herself. She didn't know what she would do if she lost Green; he was quite possibly the only person she had ever truly cared about.

Her worries seemed to ease, however, along with Green's shaking. They stayed like that for a long time until his breathing was even and his eyes had stopped fluttering, and remained even after he was okay.

Finally, Serana said, "Are you alright? I almost thought…I thought I lost you there. You went as white as the snow."

Green pulled away, though they were still sitting rather close. Neither moved to fix it. "Don't worry, I'm fine." His voice sounded very ragged and tired, and the bruise on his face almost seemed _worse_ , but his eyes were lit with a sort of childlike excitement.

"I never trusted those damn scrolls," Serana grumbled. "Who knows what they could have done to you? Just look at Dexion."

Green grinned that stupid grin at her. "I knew you cared."

She rolled her eyes and didn't dignify him with a response. "What about Auriel's Bow? Do you know where we can find it?"

He nodded. "It's in a place called Darkfall Cave."

Serana breathed deeply in relief. "Then it's almost over. We can finally put an end to this ridiculous prophecy. Where is this 'Darkfall Cave?'"

"The scrolls gave me its exact location."

"Then let's get going," She said, standing and helping Green do the same. "I want to get out of here before my father has a chance to track us down."

Whoosh!

An arrow landed right between them, not an inch from Serana's big toe. On the stairs of the glade, vampires poured in.

They looked at each other, and then at the vampire horde.

"This'll be fun," Green said with a grimace.

 **x x x**

Darkfall cave was a small crevice in the side of a mountain, well into Orc territory. Green thought it would have been more intimidating.

He was still a little sore from the battle in the Ancestor Glade. One of the Gargoyles had managed a lucky shot that had bruised Green's ribs and only angered him. After the battle, blood mixed with the water and flowers, and he couldn't help but be enraged by the disruption of beauty.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. It was stuffy inside the Dawnguard helmet. After so many days wearing it, it stank of his breath and sweat.

He only wore it because he was exhausted, and he had a hard time hiding his emotions when he was so tired. He had a hard time hiding his emotions anyway, but it was even worse when he was fatigued.

He didn't want Serana to see what he was thinking. He knew that she was okay with what had happened with Agmaer back at the fort, but if Green was being honest, he wasn't.

He had never considered himself an emotional person. Maybe not as veiled as Violet, but more so than some of the others he had met - which was part of why he always wanted to hide his emotions. He almost always failed. But after the fiasco at Fort Dawnguard, he was forced to reconsider his control over such things.

Isran, Green knew, was incorrect. Serana was _not_ "just an asset." He wasn't sure when it happened, but she had ceased being so a long time ago; perhaps even when she came to the fort with the first Elder Scroll.

He knew he had never seen her as "filth," though. A vampire, sure, and a dangerous one if she chose to be, but never "filth."

The million-septim-question, though, was this: Had he grown too attached?

Green didn't think so. If he thought as a regular person, then he knew there was no such thing as "too attached," where she was concerned. Unless, of course, he was insane. But he was fairly sure that he wasn't. Probably.

But if he thought as a vampire hunter (which was not natural to him) and a warrior, he knew that it was not wise to grow so fond of one's partner, regardless of vampirism. Growing too close to someone who watched your back could end up disastrously.

He didn't like thinking like this. He didn't like thinking those thoughts. So, he ignored them.

He pondered this as they walked through Darkfall Cave. An appropriate name, considering that the place was so dark that Green couldn't see his own hand in front of his face.

Relief came when they came to a small bridge that connected two cliffs that overlooked a waterfall. Overhead, light shone through a small opening in the roof of the cave.

Green squinted at the other side of the bridge. He could make out a few ore veins, but nothing more. But there had to be a further tunnel, didn't there? The Elder Scrolls had been very specific: Darkfall Cave, and nowhere else.

He started across the bridge, purposely trying to ignore the creaking sounds it made as he crossed. When he was across and was sure it was safe, he waved Serana over.

Together they examined the dead end that the Elder Scrolls had brought them to.

"I didn't realize Elder Scrolls had a sense of humor," Serana said dryly.

Green shook his head, refusing to believe that there was nowhere else to go. "Maybe there's a hidden button, or something…"

He started to search, but Serana laid a hand on his shoulder.

"There's nothing here," she said. "Maybe we missed something on the way in?"

Green nodded. "Maybe." He wasn't convinced.

They stepped onto the bridge and were maybe halfway across before they realized their mistake. There was no possible way that the flimsy bridge could support their combined weight.

The realization came too late. Green opened his mouth to give a warning, but a loud snap! interrupted him.

And then, of course, he was falling to his death.

He barely had time to register the thought and think, _Well, that was dumb,_ before his body crashed into water.

The impact was so forceful that it forced whatever air he had in his lungs out, and his helmet began to fill with water at a dizzying rate. Frantically, Green ripped the heavy helmet off of his head, and it slipped free of his fingers.

As soon as the unnecessary weight was gone, Green was swept away by a fast current, still underwater. His body catapulted forward at an alarming rate. He had just found the surface and managed to grab a gulpful of air before he was snatched underwater again by the raging current. He spun around in the water, losing what little sense of direction he had, and his lungs burned.

He crested over a waterfall and suddenly he was free falling again, but he slammed into the water once more before he had a chance to breathe.

His lungs were a forest fire. In a foolish attempt to breathe, Green opened his mouth and sucked in water. He immediately began to choke as the liquid filled his lungs, and his vision began to go red.

Green crested another waterfall and a portion of him that wasn't drowning prepared himself for another free fall. Instead, he hit the ground with an anticlimactic thud!

He lifted his body out of the shallow and immediately began to retch the water out of his lungs, his lungs feeling like the iron one would shape in a forge. His limbs were shaking and his throat was ragged once he finished and could breathe.

Green took deep, ragged breaths before he jumped to his feet in alarm.

 _Where's Serana?_

He frantically searched the water around him, but it was too dark to see anything. With a frantic snap of his fingers, a ball of light began to float over his head.

 _There!_

An unconscious body laid face-down in the water a few feet away from him. Maladroitly, Green ran to the body, rolling it over to see a face he would know anywhere, lips tainted a faint blue.

"No, no, no!" He muttered as he moved Serana onto the ground. Immediately, he began to pump her chest with his hands, trying to get her heart pumping, counting as the restoration mages had taught him.

Green had pulled his hands back and was just about to begin blowing air into her mouth when her body suddenly convulsed, and her eyes opened wide. She sat up and began hacking water out of her lungs.

When she was finished, she looked tiredly at Green, who looked like he was about to have a heart attack.

"Idiot," she mumbled. "Undead, remember? No heartbeat."

He couldn't contain himself any longer. Barely waiting for her to finish her sentence, Green wrapped her in a fierce hug. After a moment, Serana returned it.

Words began pouring out of his mouth like he was a concussion victim.

"I'm so glad you're alive I don't know what I would do without you you're not filth to me I'm so happy you're okay!"

"What?" Serana said, confusion and exhaustion lacing her voice.

Green opened his mouth to clarify, but then stopped when he heard something. Shuffling, maybe? No, it sounded more like…

Crawling.

Green jumped to his feet, lightning springing to life on his hands. Spinning, he turned the Frostbite Spider sneaking up on them into a roasted bug, but that wasn't the last of them.

At least five more Frostbite Spiders appeared, crawling on the ceiling and out of cracks that not even a trained eye would have noticed. Each one was bigger than the last.

Serana swore, jumping to her feet, drawing the Elven sword that Green had crafted for her from its sheath. She hated spiders.

It would seem the feeling was mutual. No less than three spiders, all of them at least half her size, jumped forward to attack her. However, if they thought she was defenseless, they were mistaken. She lopped off the pincers of the front spider and impaled the second with an ice spike. The third spider hung back while the de-pincered spider jumped forward, shooting poison from its bleeding mouth. Serana dodged and stabbed the spider with her sword right in its eyes. It died with a horrific screech.

Green rejoined her, Dawnbreaker dripping with black spider blood as the third, and largest spider, hesitated. Then all three of them moved in unison to attack.

When it was over, Serana and Green were covered in blood. Some of it was even theirs. Both were panting heavily, their lungs not fully recovered yet.

"Ouch," Green finally said, leaning heavily against a stone column.

"Wimp," Serana said, holding her arm, which bore a long cut, and wincing.

They took a few minutes to rest and then continued on, only slightly exhausted. They hiked up a small incline in the cave system. However, when they reached a fork in the road, both of them froze, their backs stiff with alarm.

Green was tired of smelling blood.

They drew their weapons and cautiously approached a campfire burning at the top of the small incline. There, they found yet another small massacre.

A small campfire burned next to a small chest with blood splattered on it. Behind the fire, a small sleeping bag lay, crumpled into a pile. At the entrance to a small tunnel, a Breton woman lay face down, a burning torch still clutched in her hand. She held a small note in her other hand.

"These people were…" Serana started, looking at the campsite with wide, sad eyes. "Why would anyone want to set up camp here?"

Green leaned down and plucked the note from the woman's hand. His eyes saddened as he read it.

 _Sister, I know that you'll come find me,_ _but it will be too late. If you find this letter,_ _get out of this forsaken cave as soon as possible. We were fools to think we could live so close to such creatures and live peacefully._

 _I should've headed back to camp with you after we placed the torches down here. I thought these trolls would be different, that they would somehow understand that we didn't want to hurt them._

 _I am now cornered and it's only a matter of time before one of the trolls decides to finish me off. I hope it is a quick death._

 _Farewell, dear sister._

Green handed the letter to Serana for her to read and then covered the woman's body with her sleeping bag, wishing he could bury her. He also realized that they needed to find Auriel's Bow as soon as possible, and burying her body would take too long.

Instead, he took to searching the small campsite for anything useful. A small part of him felt guilty for pilfering the place of someone's death, but the resourceful thief in him wanted to make use of whatever he could find. So it was in this search that he found a small pull chain behind a makeshift wooden shelter. Curious, he pulled it, wary for traps.

Instead of a trap, a small section of the cave wall split open, revealing a small tunnel with a faint white light glowing at the end of it.

Serana joined him. "Trap?"

Green shook his head. "Trolls aren't smart enough to set a trap. Besides, this tunnel looks ancient."

It was true. As he stepped inside, he noticed an abundance of moss and plants that had obviously been there for a long time. The air was musty and it was clear that no one else had been there for a decent amount of time.

When they came through to the other side of the tunnel, Green sucked in a breath.

In the center of the cave was a small shrine with a strange symbol of a sun on a pedestal. It was surrounded by crumbling white marble pillars. But the main attraction was a small structure behind the shrine.

It looked almost like a roof - it had the curved structure that Green had come to expect of Elven construction. However, it seemed to be missing the rest of its structure. At its apex, another symbol of the sun stood.

"What's that?" Serana muttered to him. The place demanded some kind of respect. "I can feel some kind of power coming from it."

It was true. Green felt a…strange warmth from the structure. It was oddly welcoming. The white marble seemed to glow with an innate friendliness.

And in front of it all was a man with skin as white as the snow, wearing strange moonstone armor, only slighter whiter than the man's skin. More accurately, he was an Elf. But of what kind, Green wasn't sure. He had never seen anyone like him before.

The Elf saw them and waved them over, his hands nowhere near the sword strapped to his waist.

"Come forward," he said. His voice was oddly soothing. "You have nothing to fear here."

Green and Serana shared a look and cautiously approached, their hands laying on top of their swords.

"I am Knight-Paladin Gelebor," the Elf said. He opened his arms in a welcoming gesture. "Welcome to the Great Chantry of Auri-El."

Green frowned. "This cave is a temple to Auriel?" It seemed to fit the image. Now that he knew, he easily recognized the symbol of Auriel on the shrine: a twisting sun.

"Auriel, Auri-El, Alkosh, Akatosh…so many different names for the sovereign of the Snow Elves."

Green couldn't help it. He took a step back out of reflex. " _You're_ a Falmer?"

Gelebor winced. "I prefer Snow Elf. The name 'Falmer' usually holds a negative meaning to most travelers. Those twisted creatures you call the Falmer, I call the Betrayed."

"I imagine you know why we're here," Serana said.

"Of course," Gelebor said matter-of-factly. "You're here for Auriel's bow. Why else would you be here?"

There was a sort of…resignation to his voice. _How many travelers have come here looking for Auriel's Bow?_ Green thought.

"I can help you get it," Gelebor continued, "but first I must have your assistance."

Green took his hand off his sword, but he couldn't help the suspicion creeping into his voice. "What type of assistance do you need?"

Gelebor hesitated. "I need you to kill Arch-Curate Vyrthur…my brother."

Green was silent for a moment, shock coursing through him. Killing a sibling? Why? Gelebor seemed so…detached. Surely he couldn't really mean that?

"Kill your brother? Why?"

"The kinship between us is gone," Gelebor said. His voice seemed sad. "I don't understand what he's become, but he's no longer the brother I once knew. It was the Betrayed. They…did something to him. I just don't know why Auri-El would allow something like this to happen."

"What exactly did the Betrayed do?" Serana asked, her voice a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.

"They swept into the Chantry without warning and began killing everyone without pause," he replied.

Green frowned again, deeper. "Didn't you fight back?"

"The Chantry was a place of peaceful worship. I led a small group of paladins, but we were no match for the Betrayed's shear numbers. They slaughtered everyone and stormed the Inner Sanctum, where I believe they corrupted Vyrthur."

Green shook his head. "You don't even know if he's alive."

"Oh, he's alive," Gelebor insisted. "I've seen him. But something's wrong. He never looks as if he's in pain or under duress. He just…stands there and watches, as though waiting."

"Have you tried getting into the Inner Sanctum?"

"Leaving the wayshrines unguarded would be violating my sacred duty as a Knight-Paladin of Auri-El. And an assault on the Inner Sanctum would only end with my death."

"Wayshrine?" Green asked, choosing to focus on one thing at a time. He was getting a headache.

"Yes. Let me show you." Gelebor walked away from the shrine he stood in front of and approached the strange structure dominating the cave. He cupped his right hand, which glowed with a bright white light, and cast a ball of the light towards the symbol of Auriel. The symbol responded with a flash of warm orange light, and then the world began to shake.

The strange structure rumbled, and then began to expand upwards, lengths of marble being added to the roof as if they had always been there, rising from the ground. When it was over, a large arch stood, showing a single basin meant for water in the center. It was empty.

"So _this_ is Snow Elf magic," Serana commented, staring with wonder at the wayshrine. "Incredible."

"This structure is known as a wayshrine," Gelebor told them. "They were used for meditation and for transport when the Chantry was a place of enlightenment. Prelates of these shrines were charged with teaching the mantras of Auri-El to our initiates."

Serana cocked her head. "What's that basin in the center signify?"

"Once the Initiate completed his mantras, he'd dip a ceremonial ewer in the basin at the wayshrine's center and proceed to the next wayshrine," Gelebor explained.

"So these initiates had to lug around a heavy pitcher of water," Serana said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "Marvelous. How long would they have to do that?"

"Well," he said, seemingly thinking about it, "once the initiate's enlightenment was complete, he'd bring the ewer to the Chantry's Inner Sanctum. Pouring the contents into the sacred basin of the Sanctum would allow him to enter for an audience with the Arch-Curate himself."

Serana frowned, inspecting the wayshrine. "All that just to end up dumping it out? Makes no sense to me."

Gelebor scowled. "It's _symbolic_. I don't expect you to understand."

"So, let's get this straight," Serana started. Green hid a smile. "We need to do all that nonsense to get into the temple, so we can kill your brother and claim Auriel's Bow?"

"I know how it all sounds," Gelebor sighed. "But if there was another way, I'd have done it long ago." He turned to Green. "The only way to get to my brother is by following in the Initiates' footsteps and traveling from wayshrine to wayshrine just as they did. The first lay at the end of Darkfall Passage, a cavern that represents the absence of enlightenment."

"How many wayshrines are there?" Green asked, cocking his head in curiosity.

"There are five in total, spread far apart the Chantry."

Green whistled. "These caves must be massive."

"Caves? Oh, no. The Chantry encompasses far more than just a few caves, as you'll soon discover. But before I send you on your way, you'll need the Initiate's Ewer." He walked over to the shrine and picked up a small pitcher that Green hadn't noticed before. He walked back over and handed it to Green.

"So we need to fill this at each wayshrine?" Green asked.

Gelebor nodded. "Once you've located a wayshrine, there will be a spectral Prelate tending to it. They will allow you to draw from the shrine's basins as if you've been enlightened."

Green shrugged, hooking the ewer onto his belt. "I guess we'll be off, then."

Gelebor nodded his head. "I grant you my hopes for a safe journey."

Green turned to Serana, whose arms were crossed. She was standing on the steps to the wayshrine and only had a small scowl on her face.

"I never could stand priests," she muttered as he joined her.

"Technically, he's not a priest," Green reminded her in a low voice.

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Let's just get going."

Green cautiously stepped into the wayshrine. As soon as his foot made contact with the interior of the structure, one of the walls lit up brightly, showing an image of a dark cave with strange plants. It was outlined in purple.

In any other situation, he would have been perturbed. However, the wayshrine continued broadcasting its comforting feeling, and Green only hesitated for a short moment.

Then he muttered a curse and stepped into Darkfall Passage.

* * *

 **Please review!**

 **Lame Joke o' the Day: Why was the stadium so cold? Because there were a lot of fans!**


	19. Chapter 18

***hides behind computer* This chapter is one of those chapters that you know your story needs but you just don't wanna write it. I'm not particularly good at writing stuff like this, so please forgive me. *returns to hiding***

* * *

Marcurio hated cotton. It was itchy and scratchy and made by the daedra.

Unfortunately, that was exactly what his prisoner's uniform was made of. Lying on his cot in the Dragonreach Dungeons, it took all of his willpower not to scratch uncontrollably.

He had been there for a good day, at least. It was hard to tell, without a window to look at the position of the sun.

He considered using his magic to break out for the upteenth time, then decided against it. For one, he didn't want a massive bounty on his head for killing guards who were only doing their duty. Secondly, despite all his bravado about being a "master mage," he wasn't sure how many guards he would have to fight. Not that he was scared, of course.

He was terrified.

Without his mage robes to hide him, or his cloak of magic fire to defend him, he was left with only fear. Fear was a powerful thing, but Marcurio was often able to push it aside. Now, though, he was defenseless. He was scared - no, he was terrified that he was going to rot in the dungeon, that he would grow old and die there, just as the prophecy predicted. He recalled Naldo's words with little difficulty. They were always playing in the back of his mind, these days.

" _Son of Stag and Son of Stone_

 _When you find all your courage gone_

 _A woman will help you, but beware_

 _For this wolf with yellow eyes_

 _Will herald where your doom lies_

 _And when you're gone, and swept away_

 _She will find to her great dismay_

 _That her doom was feelings un-threadbare."_

Marcurio sighed and resisted the urge to curl into a ball. That would only make the cotton itch worse.

 _Clang!_

He sat up and raised his hands, feeling the tingling of magicka rushing to his hands. Before he could enact a spell, however, a guard appeared at his cell door.

Marcurio forced himself to lower his hands as the female guard observed him. Strangely, this guard didn't watch him with her hand on her sword, although he was sure the behind her helmet she was glaring at him. Unwillingly, he froze up with fear, and he knew the guard could see it.

The next thing she did surprised him more than anything. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a ring of keys. She unlocked the door and stepped inside, and then locked the door again behind her.

 _What?_

Marcurio gaped at the guard. Maybe she was planning to rough him up a little bit, but he didn't sense any malice from the woman. Instead, he felt…a connection?

"Are you going to stare at me all day, or do you want to get out of here?" A familiar voice sounded from inside the helmet.

Marcurio's jaw dropped even farther. " _Violet_?"

The guard took off her helmet to reveal a face with bright green eyes and brown hair that was arguably the most wonderful thing he had ever seen. She was grinning.

He rushed forward and hugged her so tightly he was sure that both of their ribs would break. "You came back!"

"Hrnn…I kind of need to breathe, Marc."

"Oh, right. Of course."

Marcurio released her, but he couldn't stop the giant smile from spreading across his face. "How are you supposed to get us out of here? And where'd you get the uniform?"

Violet shrugged. "While you were being detained, I found one of the guards and knocked her out, took her armor. We have about 30 minutes before she wakes up. As for how we're going to escape, watch this."

She knelt by the small grate where a dead bandit was decomposing and pulled out a knife and a lockpick from her pocket. She inserted both into the small lock, and had it open with less than three turns of the lock.

 _She's amazing,_ Marcurio thought in awe, as she lifted up the grate. She beckoned him in and he jumped down, landing with only a small tumble. Violet, on the other hand, landed adroitly, using only one hand on the ground to steady herself. Carefully, she shut the grate behind them.

"This way," she said, walking ahead of Marcurio.

They had landed in the tunnels underneath the dungeons. They smelled of must and bodily fluids and other things that he didn't want to think about, but if they got him out of the dungeons, he would love them for the rest of his life. They walked past the dark stones and torches (which _someone_ must have placed down there) and occasionally had to stop walking as a guard overhead passed.

Eventually, they reached a small chamber in the tunnels, and it was Violet's thieving expertise that stole back his clothes and personal items, which he waited to put on until later for both their sakes.

Once again, Marcurio marveled at her skills. He had known she was a member of the Thieves Guild, and a rather high-ranking one at that, but he had no idea she was _this_ good. He didn't even hear her when she walked on the gravelly ground, whereas if he hadn't turned on his muffle spell, he would be louder than an elephant. He relied on his magic to cover his lack of skill in other areas; she relied on her skills to make up for her lack of magic. What a pair they were.

Violet took an unusual turn and they dropped down into a tunnel that looked more natural than man-made. Water flowed under their feet. They had found Whiterun's underground water source! Marcurio took the chance to surreptitiously wipe some of the grime off of his face and arms when Violet wasn't looking.

Finally, after a few more minutes of walking, they found a large pool of water. To the naked eye, it would seem like a dead end, but with the help of Marcurio's Magelight spell, he was able to see a small opening at the base of the small spring.

"How do you know about this?" He asked Violet.

She shrugged again. "You think you're the only one to be arrested in Whiterun? I've had plenty of time to explore these tunnels. One of them even leads to the Guard's Barracks."

With that, she shrugged her back over her shoulder and dived into the water, splashing the clear liquid all over Marcurio. He grinned after her before diving in himself.

His greasy scalp was washed clear of all the muck and sweat that polluted it and floated weightlessly around his head. He had never been a strong swimmer, but even he could swim towards the tunnel and emerge on the other side with his lungs intact.

The tunnel ended abruptly and Marcurio came up gasping on the other side. A hand reached out and he took it, accepting the assistance that helped him stand.

They were standing on a small outcropping that overlooked the Whiterun stables. Marcurio allowed himself a massive sigh of relief.

Violet tossed his mage cloak at him. "Change."

His face flushed. "Here?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'll turn around."

She did exactly as she said, and Marcurio only paused for a brief moment before changing out of his itchy, scratchy rags into the more comfortable clothes he had grown accustomed to.

"Why did you rescue me?" He asked Violet after he gave her the okay to turn around.

She looked away. "You had valuable information, Marcurio. If you were interrogated, it would have given a lot away."

"Oh," Marcurio said, and he couldn't stop some of the disappointment from sneaking into his voice. He thought that maybe she cared about him the way he cared about her, but clearly he was mistaken. "Let's get moving, then."

He started to move past her to begin scaling down the cliff, moving stiffly, but Violet caught his arm. He turned to face her, placing himself inside her personal space.

"I did it because the Companions said they were going to question you," she said quietly. "And I've heard how…carried away they can get."

Marcurio's brow furrowed as confusion flashed through him. "I don't understand."

She looked slightly uncomfortable, but she continued. "I couldn't…. _wouldn't_ let you rot in prison. I sure as hell wasn't going to let the Companions torture you."

A spark of hope ignited in Marcurio. But he needed to be sure. "What are you saying?"

Violet visibly swallowed and looked away. "I…um, I…"

That was unusual enough. The only time Marcurio had seen her visibly anxious like this was when the Wolf was whispering in her ear, ordering her to kill him. He desperately hoped that the reasons for her anxiety this time were more pleasant.

Violet muttered something that Marcurio barely caught, but it made his whole body feel weightless.

 _I care about you. A lot._

Something inside of him - some strange instinct that he knew was right - took action. In one swift motion, Marcurio took her in his arms and pressed his mouth to hers.

Her reaction was initially one of shock, but then she relaxed and snaked her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

Marcurio had never had much experience in this particular area, so the feeling that accompanied the kiss were alien to him. However, he did know this: it felt great. If he could have, he would have invented whatever potion necessary so it never had to end.

Of course, a small portion of his brain had to ruin it for him.

 _Idiot_ , it whispered, _you're kissing in full view of the guards. All they have to do is look up, and you'll be right back in prison._

Marcurio turned that part of his brain off. Reality, however, caught up with them eventually.

 _WOOOOOOONK!_

They jumped apart, readying their weapons at the sound of a horn sounding throughout the hold.

Below them, a party of Whiterun guards burst forth from the gates, holding torches up in the quickly fading light. Luckily, none of them were smart enough to look up, and they marched right past Violet and Marcurio's hiding place.

Violet, her face red as a tomato, looked at Marcurio. "We need to leave."

As if he hadn't noticed.

* * *

 ***hiding* How was it? I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter, so some input (cough cough reviews cough cough) would be nice.**

 **What do you call the security outside of a Samsung store? Guardians of the Galaxy!**


	20. Chapter 19

**Woo. Sorry that took so long to update, guys I have a really busy schedule these next couple of weeks, so I'll try to update when I can.**

* * *

"What the hell is that?" Serana muttered to Green.

He wanted to shrug, but knew he shouldn't move. "Some kind of Sabre Cat. Really big, though."

"Really big" was an understatement. The Sabre Cat facing them down was at least twice the size of the biggest Sabre Cat, with a strange pelt possessing luminescent markings. Its body was tense as it prepared to pounce, and spittle dripped from its massive two fangs.

 _Enough of this_ , Green thought. He took a step forward at the same time the Sabre Cat did, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "KAAN DREM OV!"

Purple light burst forward from his mouth just as the Sabre Cat pounced, and the glowing pelt of the animal absorbed the light. But this didn't stop the beast from slamming into Green, throwing him to the ground and pinning him there.

" _Green_!" Serana shouted, but her words were cut short when she realized the Sabre Cat wasn't attacking Green. Just the opposite, in fact.

The Sabre Cat seemed to grin and licked Green across the face, covering him in slobber.

Green laughed, partly in disgust and partly in relief, and hauled the giant cat off of him, standing quickly. He looked at Serana, who still looked a little freaked out.

"We've had too many close calls lately," she finally said.

Green nodded in agreement and scratched the head of the Sabre Cat. "That particular shout makes animals friendly. This guy will probably stick with us for a while."

Serana glanced at the animal distrustfully. It stared back at her with a strange grin on its face.

She looked back at Green. "I don't like this."

"I don't like it either," he agreed. "Right now the Wolf is screaming for me to rip this quote on quote, 'pussy-cat' to pieces. But if everything in there is as big as Tiny here, we could use his help."

Serana glared at "Tiny." "You're on probation," she told the overgrown feline.

Tiny just kept on grinning.

 **x x x**

"Woah," Green breathed.

They had walked right into an artist's dream. Cliffs surrounded them on all sides, and waterfalls flowed freely, their waters cleaner than any he had ever seen. The strange plants that they had seen in Darkfall Passage were even more prevalent here, growing in large patches, almost as if someone had gardened them. Large birch trees grew all over the place, the white of their bark complementing the white of the snow. Large ruins of the Chantry's former structure dotted the landscape. To top it all off, a strange smell Green hadn't experienced before pleasantly tickled his nose. It was almost a mixture of…vanilla and green apples.

"This is incredible!" Serana exclaimed. "It's like a whole other world!" She brushed past him excitedly. "Come on. The bow has to be in this valley somewhere."

Green grinned when he saw her enthusiasm. Seeing her like that made him want to show her all the amazing places he'd found in Skyrim, but they didn't have the time. They had to stop Harkon. After that, then he'd see.

It was fairly easy to get to the first two wayshrines in the Forgotten Valley. With only a few Frostbite Spiders in their way - ones that Tiny easily dispatched - they were able to find them without too much difficulty.

The third one in the valley, however, proved to be farther away than the other two. It was on this long hike that Serana asked something that had been on her mind for a while.

"Green," she started.

"Hmm?" He replied, turning around, walking backwards to talk to her. Tiny looked after him in confusion.

"What was it you said after I almost drowned?" Her ears had been clogged with water and by the time she realized he was saying something, the Frostbite Spiders had been upon them.

His face almost instantly reddened and he turned back to walking forwards, presumably so she couldn't see his face. "I, uh…" He cleared his throat. "I said that I was very glad you were alive. Or well, as alive as you were before, or…you know what I mean."

Serana hid a smile. "Yes, I know what you mean."

Green smiled as well and continued. "Um, and then I said that…" He swallowed. "Then I said that you weren't 'filth,' like Agmaer said."

Serana couldn't help the small thrill of shock that went through her. Even though she should have known that Green didn't think like the other vampire hunters, it was good to hear it from him. "What?"

Green looked over his shoulder at her, the fading light of the sunset making his dark hair seem lighter. "Don't listen to the other Dawnguard. You're not 'just an asset.' Not to me."

She smiled fully. "Thank you."

He smiled back, and they continued on.

 **x x x**

Green hated Falmer.

Even if they had been normal-looking Snow Elves, he still would have hated them. They built traps that he kept tripping over, with darts that frequently tore his clothes, giant claws that he always had to jump away from, and bridges that liked to collapse.

They also like to randomly jump out at him, and they loved using poisons. All of the things that Green hated, compacted into one tortured being.

So when they came out of the Glacial Crevice to find a massive structure of bridges and huts constructed, his jaw naturally dropped. He hadn't expected the Falmer of being able to build anything other than those annoying traps.

Fortunately, all it took was a little umph and a Thu'um, and the entire structure came crashing down, along with all the Falmer climbing on top of it.

"Do you always Shout your way out of any situation?" Serana asked as Tiny leapt over the body of a Falmer warrior.

Green shrugged. "We Dragonborn are too proud to do anything else."

"Too proud to crawl over the wreckage of a dirty Falmer building?"

He looked up at her, in the middle of doing just that. He grinned. "Actually, we Dragonborn are so proud that we would love to sink to a humbling level. All in the name of pride, of course."

Serana snorted. "You _do_ realize that that didn't make any sense?"

"We Dragonborn are too proud to make any sense."

She shook her head, chuckling just a little bit. "You're an idiot."

Green continued to grin, stepping over the final piece of wreckage and shading his eyes to catch a view of the final wayshrine. It was just like all the others, but the small structure of the Falmer surrounding it made it seem much more grand. The Spectral Prelate stood there just like all the others, waiting patiently for them.

"Welcome, Initiate. You've found the Wayshrine of Radiance. Are you prepared to honor the mantras of Auri-El and fill your vessel with his enlightenment?"

Green looked back at Serana, who shrugged, and then back at the Prelate.

"Yes," he said simply.

"May the blessings of Auri-El protect you as you climb the road to the Inner Sanctum and final enlightenment." The Prelate opened his hand, which glowed, and opened the wayshrine just like all the others.

Green approached the water basin and filled the ewer for the final time, grunting with how heavy the pitcher had become. For extra measure, he tied a cloth around the top in case any of the water should happen to spill.

He turned to Serana, holding up the pitcher. "Do you want to take a turn at holding this thing?"

She shook her head. "How about you handle your things and I'll handle mine?"

Green sighed and walked past her, towards the large Snow Elf arch in the road ahead of them. He heard Serana and Tiny following, and he smiled grimly. It was almost over - they almost had the bow. Maybe once it was all over, they could -

Movement.

Green spun around just in time to see a Falmer climb from the wreckage, bleeding heavily from a wound in its leg. But that didn't stop the creature from placing an arrow on its bow and firing - right at Serana's turned back.

Green didn't think. He just did.

He took a giant step forward and shoved Serana to the ground. The arrow whistled over his head, scraping his forehead right over the scar he had received from the Soul Cairn's portal.

Tiny sprinted forward and pinned the Falmer to the ground, tearing out its throat in one fluid motion.

Green rolled off of Serana, groaning as the wound in his forehead reopened.

Serana was the first to get up, stretching her neck. Slowly, she offered a hand to her companion, helping him stand.

"Thank you," she said. "I didn't even see it coming."

Green nodded. "Of course."

He continued on, holding a rag to his forehead, and didn't see the confused look on Serana's face as she looked back at the Falmer.

* * *

 **Have you ever ever watched the movie "Constipated?"**

 **It hasn't come out yet.**

 **Please review!**


	21. Chapter 20

**He he he. I've wanted to write these next few chapters for a while. I'm a little rusty, so hopefully my plot twists still have some affect on y'all. Please enjoy!**

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Violet tripped over a stick and cursed. She thought there was supposed to be a fort around here, not some strange cave that led to nowhere and was covered in spiderwebs.

She muttered a few more swears under her breath as she emerged into a snowy mountain path. Marcurio tripped after her, but she was busy studying the path. Several animals rushed around nearby, their pelts colored with snow. Following the path downwards, there was an ice-crusted lake. In the distance, she could just barely see the tip of a castle's spire.

She glanced behind her to make sure Marcurio was still following before setting off.

They hadn't talked about what had happened. They hadn't really talked much at all, except when absolutely necessary. Even if Violet found herself drifting back to that moment when she was supposed to be focusing, she had a hard time talking about things like that. And besides, she needed to be able to focus on the task at hand, like usual.

So instead, Violet had gone back to focusing on her guilt concerning her brother. She had contacted one of her informants, who had told her that Green had recently been seen at Fort Dawnguard with the unknown vampire that Naldo had mentioned before. Deciding that her spiral of self-pity needed to come to an end, she and Marcurio had run off towards the fort near Riften.

Walking swiftly so that she and Marcurio wouldn't be side-by-side, Violet tried her best to appreciate the beauty of the world around her, like Green always had. However, it had always been easier for him; he didn't grow up knowing the things she knew or seeing the things she had seen. Violet had been corrupted knowing her parent's actions. Green, even though he had never known their parents, had been able to see the beauty of simple things because he never knew complicated things. At least, for a majority of his life.

She stopped in her tracks for only a small moment when Fort Dawnguard came into view, significantly larger than she had imagined. Unfortunately, the idiots had left the wooden gate open. They didn't even have any guards posted!

Violet strode right into the fort and was almost to the door before anyone stopped her.

"Hey!" A man with brown hair and a beard in heavy Dawnguard armor said. "Stop!"

The man drew his war axe, but it flew out of his hand, sticking into the wall when Violet shouted, "ZUN!"

The man stared at her as Marcurio caught up to her.

"I am the Dragonborn," Violet said, drawing herself up, even though inside she winced at using her reputation. "I am looking for my brother Green."

The man swallowed and stepped aside. "Why don't you go inside and speak to Isran."

The inside of Fort Dawnguard was bigger than Violet could have guessed. The grand hall was, well…grand, and she didn't even know what the rest of the place was like. The tip of the room had a balcony and a sunroof, which shined sunlight into the castle brightly. Protection against Vampires, perhaps?

A man was standing in the center of the room, with dark skin and black hair shaved close to his skull. He stood with a straight back and seemed to command all of the authority in the room. Or at least, he would, until he met Violet.

She marched up to the man she assumed was Isran and waited patiently. Fortunately, the man had broken off his conversation with a woman with red hair when he saw her approach.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Isran demanded, his silver eyes flashing dangerously. No doubt the man didn't appreciate random people walking into his fort.

"I'm looking for Green," Violet said, crossing her arms. "I was told he was here."

The man appraised her for a moment, before beginning to chuckle. Violet shifted uncomfortably. That was not the reaction she was expecting.

"I take it you're Green's sister?" Isran asked.

She frowned. "Yes. Did he mention me?"

He shook his head. "No, but you look just like him when he's pissed."

"Where is he?" Marcurio asked from behind Violet.

Isran shrugged. "I have no clue. I sent him on…an errand and instructed him not to come back until it was finished. He could be anywhere in Skyrim by now."

Violet glared suspiciously at him. "What kind of errand?" When Isran didn't respond right away, she sighed, dropping some of her tough persona. "Look," she said, softening his voice. "It's important that I find him."

He frowned, then sighed as well. "Oh, well. I suppose it couldn't hurt. You're not a vampire, and neither is your friend there. Any friend of Green's can be trusted. I sent him looking for Auriel's Bow, the only weapon capable of defeating a powerful vampire threatening Tamriel."

Violet froze. "Auriel's Bow?"

"Have you heard of it? It's a powerful artifact that was apparently crafted by the Elven god Auriel himself."

 _No, no no!_

"Where was the last place you sent him?" Violet demanded, panic slicing through her.

Isran looked confused. "Ancestor Glade, in Falkreath. Why?"

"Thank you." Violet turned on her heel and began to sprint for the door, passing through it and into the valley outside. She was halfway to the exit before Marcurio caught up to her, catching her arm.

She spun on him, expecting one of the Dawnguard members. Seeing that it was only him, she relaxed, though she was breathing hard.

"What's wrong?" Marcurio asked her. "You ran out of there faster than any horse I've ever seen. And you look like you've seen a ghost."

 _In a way,_ Violet thought. She forced herself to calm down a little, just enough to give Marcurio the details.

"Have I ever told you about my parents?" She asked him.

He shook his head. "You haven't told me anything about what happened before you came to Skyrim."

"There's a reason for that," Violet said, shivering at the memory. "My parents could be called evil, in the right mindset. They were never satisfied that I wasn't born with magic, and when they became pregnant with Green, they saw a second chance." She looked at the sun in the sky, judging how much time they had. "Because of my parent's actions, he was gifted magic. But he can _never_ touch an aedric artifact. Elven artifacts are much more potent. If he touches that bow, there's a very good chance that he could die."

She took a deep breath and turned away from him, looking at the sky once again.

"OD AH VIING!"

* * *

 **Sorry this chapter was shorter.**

 **Lame Joke of the Day: What did the Vegetables say at the party? "Lettuce turnip the beat!"**

 **BONUS CHAPTER IS NEXT, MY DUDES!**

 **Please Review!**


	22. BONUS CHAPTER!

"Nothing?!" Susan demanded incredulously. "Not a _hint_ of magic? _Nothing_?"

The Mage shook his head, handing the small infant girl back to her mother. "I'm sorry, but that must be the way it is. Perhaps one day she will grow into a talented bard or scholar, or perhaps even a warrior. But she will never be a mage."

The Mage bowed a final time and then exited the Temple of Kynareth. Susan and her husband Matthew frowned after him.

Susan looked at her daughter with a deep frown. She loved her daughter, of course. But with that love came great expectations. Before she was birthed, Susan expected her daughter to be the breadwinner of the family. Her daughter was going to be a powerful mage. While Susan herself was not a mage and neither was her husband, her sister had been, and Susan had had high hopes that the gift would pass to her daughter.

But no.

Somewhere deep, deep inside of her, Susan knew that she shouldn't be so disappointed. But another part of her, the larger, more bitter part, began to form a plan.

And this plan would be the beginning of the end.

 **x x x**

Four years later, the daughter of Susan was playing in the garden.

She had no clue what to call herself. Susan and Matthew had not yet named her. But that was alright. Somehow she understood that one day she would be able to name herself.

The Daughter stopped at the foot of a bed of violets. She hadn't heard anything, but something just felt _wrong_.

And the wrongness was coming from the house.

The Daughter rushed forward on her toddler legs, worried but not sure why.

The house was nothing big. It was barely large enough to support Susan, Mark, and the Daughter. And soon, there would be another. Susan was pregnant. Maybe that was why the Daughter was worried. As young as she was, she understood that she had to defend her younger sibling, no matter the cost.

She rushed inside the house, through the open door that she was old enough to understand should not have been left open. She closed it behind her, creeping forward. She tried to be quiet, but it was harder than she thought.

When she turned the corner and saw her parents, she knew that no amount of stealth would matter. Her parents probably wouldn't have heard her anyway.

Susan and Matthew were kneeling at an altar filled with blood, their arms stretched out before them, almost like they were…hiding. The Daughter's brother sat on the altar, covered in blood, before an image of an evil-looking head with goat horns curling like facial hair around its face.

Apparently, Susan had given birth. But why hadn't the Daughter heard anything? Surely Susan would have made some noise if the baby had been born. The Daughter didn't understand how childbirth worked yet, but she knew that the process was usually loud. Yet she hadn't heard anything.

What was going on?

Suddenly a deep voice sounded from nowhere. The Daughter fell backwards when she heard it.

" _I have heard your pathetic pleas,_ " the voice said. " _And I am not impressed. What do you have to offer me?_ "

"Please," Susan begged. "We'll give you anything!"

"Anything!" Matthew confirmed.

" _Anything?_ " The voice said, sounding pleased. " _I am sure we can work out the terms…later. In the meantime, all you ask is for your son to be granted the gift of magic?"_

Susan and her husband nodded feverishly.

" _Very well,_ " the voice agreed. A strange red light shone over the baby's body, and the Daughter's brother began to cry.

The Daughter struggled to her feet. She wasn't sure what was happening, but she knew that it was not good. She needed to stop it, to protect her brother. But the voice spoke again, and she found herself paralyzed with fear.

 _"From this day forth, Thomas shall be a powerful mage,"_ the voice said, sounding happy. _"But be warned: he will never be able to touch anything not born of my brothers. Many of the aedra are…displeased with my actions. They will do anything to stop them, including killing your son. All you must do is make sure that Thomas follows the path I have set for him. In nineteen years, he must travel to Skyrim and free a pawn I have placed in a crypt."_

"Yes, Molag Bal," Susan and Matthew said in unison.

The name of the creature that had control of the Daughter's parents caused her to shiver uncontrollably, and she ran out of the house, past the door that she had closed, and buried her face in a bed of violets.

At least the violets would protect her.

x x x

Two years later, Violet rushed through the crowd of the port, looking for the ship that was supposed to come in that day. She wasn't supposed to know the destination, but mother had been careless and left the receipt on the desk. So Violet, named after the flowers she loved so much, had followed them.

She found the assigned dock and tried to push past the people gathered there to no avail. After all, she was only 6 years old and had the short body to match. However, one of the sailors took pity in her and allowed her through, even clearing a path for her to reach the front of the small crowd gathered at the docks.

Violet frowned in confusion when she saw that the docks were empty. The receipt had been very clear. This dock, at this time. So what was wrong?

"Excuse me, mister?" She asked the sailor who had parted the crowd for her. "Where's the ship?"

The sailor looked down at her hopeful expression, and his face took on a sympathetic look.

He leaned down so that they were the same height. "I don't know how to tell you this, kid, but…the Frosthammer crashed offshore a day ago. There were no survivors."

For a moment, 6-year-old Violet didn't comprehend his words. Then an unfamiliar feeling assaulted her from all sides: grief. Not so much for her parents, but for Thomas. She had promised the infant that she would always protect him, and what good had that done?

She had failed.

But she would never be a coward again.


	23. Chapter 21

**HAPPY 1,000 VIEWS!**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed that bonus chapter. Sorry it took so long.**

* * *

Serana hadn't seen very many extraordinary things in her life. But the Inner Sanctum of the Chantry was at the top of the list of things she _had_ seen.

The interior seemed to be crafted by a master craftsman, with each stone polished to perfection even after years of neglect. They shone with a strange white light and exuded the familiar welcoming feeling she had grown to expect from Snow Elf structures. In the center of the room they had entered was another shrine to Auriel, with a twist: dozens of Falmer were frozen solid in the ice around it.

She gaped at them as they passed. They didn't jump out of the ice and attack her, like she expected them to, but instead stayed stubbornly still, and didn't even move when she held a torch to their surface.

"Uh, Serana?" Green nervously asked. "Maybe you shouldn't do that. I've had enough Falmer for one day."

"Right," she replied, moving away from the frozen creatures. Just how long had the Chantry been abandoned for?

They continued on, and Tiny growled at the frozen Falmer as they passed. For once, Serana was inclined to agree with the overgrown cat. The grand halls of the Inner Sanctum seemed significantly more eerie with the frozen creatures everywhere.

She fingered the sword at her waist nervously. It was a good weapon, and it comforted her that Green had made it himself. She trusted him more than she probably should; if anyone were to make her a weapon, she would want it to be him.

Thinking about the sword only brought back the confusion that had been with her for the past half-hour or so: why had Green saved her life when the Falmer fired at her?

 _I've been keeping her safe_ , Green had told Valerica. Serana had assumed that meant simply transporting her to the destinations they needed to go to. After all, she was a vampire. Why would he risk his life for her?

His words from earlier came back to her. _You're not "just an asset." Not to me._

She should have known better than to doubt his motivations by now. But decades of being seen as a pawn by both of her parents had taken their toll. Even with Green, who had done so much for her, she found it difficult to believe that he cared about her as more than a pawn. Sure, they had shared things and seen things together, but how could she be sure? How could she _know_ that what he said was true?

It was very confusing.

She glanced at Green as he examined the walls of the Inner Sanctum. He was a good man. She could trust him.

Which was made it even _more_ confusing. Her insecurities and feelings of trust warred for dominance within her.

She had to ask. She had to know.

"Green?" Serana nervously asked as they moved into the next chamber.

"Yes?" He replied, turning from staring at a frozen Falmer to look at her.

She swallowed and avoided eye contact. "Um…why did you save me from that arrow?"

When he didn't respond right away, Serana looked back at him. His face was a perfect example of shock, his mouth forming a perfect "O" shape.

Finally he spoke. "Are you being serious?"

She nodded.

He leaned against the wall. "How do I say this…" Green looked back up at her, his eyes suddenly determined. "Of course I would save you, Serana. I would do anything for you. I would turn the deserts into jungles. I would build the grandest palace. I would even calm the Ghost Sea if it would make you happy. Saving your life is the least that I could do for you." He looked away, his face burning.

"Sorry," he muttered. "Got carried away there."

But Serana was no longer listening.

In all her years of living (which were quite a few), no one had ever said something like that to her. No one, not even her own parents, had treated her like Green had and still was. She was suddenly filled with such a strong sensation of warmth that it pushed away all of the cold that she had felt for such a long time. Following her gut, she did something she had wanted to do for a long time.

She walked up to him before she had a chance to second-guess herself and kissed him.

He tensed suddenly, and she worried she had done something wrong. But then the most wonderful thing happened: he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back.

Warmth filled her once more and she let it. It heated her insides to a boiling point as the kiss deepened and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Serana was relatively new at things like this, but she wasn't a newbie, either. But never before, even when she was human, had she felt like that. It was a feeling unfamiliar to her, but she never wanted it to end.

Unfortunately, she needed to breathe at some point. When they came up for air, reality hit her like a sledgehammer.

She jumped away, feeling suddenly extremely embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I…I shouldn't have done that."

Green frowned, the feeling of elation quickly fading with those words. What did she mean? "Serana, it's really -"

"No, it's -"

"I l-"

"Let's just pretend that never happened," she finished, avoiding eye contact as her face flushed with heat.

Green felt something in him shrivel. Was that really what she wanted? She certainly looked like it.

"Alright," he said quietly, wishing he had his helmet to hide his emotions. "If that's what you want."

She nodded, swallowed, and walked past him, into the next hallway.

Tiny whined and looked up at Green as he watched her go, feeling something break. He looked down at the cat. "What are you looking at?"

They continued on in dead silence, not even looking at each other. If Green thought about it, he could still feel her lips on his…

He stopped that thought as they came to a rift made of ice. He needed to stay focused. Channeling his inner Violet, he pushed those thoughts aside with much difficulty.

Finally, they came to a drop off point, and Green paused at the same time that Serana did. There was a…presence. And not a welcoming one, like the rest of the Chantry. No, this felt…like a knife, grating over stone. It felt dangerous. And dark.

And oddly familiar.

Green did his best to ignore the feeling and dropped down the the icy floor below, hearing Serana and Tiny drop behind him. The Sabre Cat scratched its hide on Green's leg, and he let it, staring at the room ahead of them.

If he thought the Soul Cairn was creepy, he was sorely mistaken. The Chapel of Auriel was larger than he had imagined it to be, with even more Falmer frozen in the ice than in the entrance hall. The craftsmanship of the Snow Elves on the walls was obscured by the ice, which coated everything in a thick layer.

And at the head of it all was Arch-Curate Vyrthur.

He sat on a throne in front of everything, behind a thin layer of ice. He was dressed in the same strange armor as Gelebor, and he wore an oddly arrogant expression that didn't quite fit the face of a Snow Elf.

As they cautiously approached the throne, he cackled; a harsh, grating sound. "Did you really come here expecting to claim Auriel's Bow?" He chuckled again. "You've done exactly as I predicted and brought your fetching companion to me."

Serana frowned. "Is he talking about me?"

Green drew his sword, feeling a surge of anger. He wasn't sure where it came from, but he welcomed the harsh heat it brought in the cold chapel.

"Which, I'm sorry to say," Vyrthur continued, "means your usefulness is at an end!"

Suddenly the frozen Falmer and Chauruses burst to life, still coated in ice but no less deadly. Green ducked a sword swing from one of the Falmer and sliced the creature across the belly. Instead of seeing a spurt of blood, like he expected to see, the Falmer just collapsed into several chunks of ice.

He didn't have time to ponder it as no less than ten frozen Falmer and their twisted pets surrounded him. Sheathing his sword, he closed his eyes and concentrated as he had been taught by the mages when he was just a novice. Feeling the familiar surge of power burn in his chest, like swallowing a hot drink too quickly, he opened his eyes and released the power in a maelstrom of fire, completely melting the Falmer that were close enough and sending the frozen bits of the others flying across the room.

Seeing that he was in the clear, Green searched the room for Serana, only to find that she was surrounded by her own horde of Falmer. Luckily, she seemed to be holding her own with the help of Tiny, who was tearing into the Falmer with savage abandon.

Without hesitating, Green sent a flurry of fireballs into the crowd of Falmer, melting them into pools of water, which didn't seem to make sense, but he didn't have time to think about it. Within a few moments, most of the Falmer in the room were dead, save for the ones that were still frozen and hadn't come to life.

Green turned back to Vyrthur, raising his eyebrows in challenge.

"An impressive display," the Snow Elf admitted, "but a wasted effort. You do nothing but delay your own deaths!"

Suddenly a large _cracking_ sound resounded throughout the chapel, and it was only Serana's warning of, "Look out! He's pulling down the ceiling!" that saved Green from being impaled by a massive ice spike that fell from the roof. With a hiss, all the other Falmer in the room came to life, surrounding Serana, Green, and Tiny.

Green and Serana pressed their backs together, forgetting the awkwardness and focusing on survival. Taking a deep breath, Green opened his mouth and shouted, "YOL TOOR SHUL!"

A wave of fire more potent than before ripped through the frozen Falmer, completely melting the first wave. Unfortunately, there were more behind them.

Luckily, the frozen variants of the twisted creatures seemed weaker than the real things, and Green, Tiny, and Serana ripped through their ranks in a matter of minutes.

Vyrthur looked outraged, though he still lounged in his throne like a self-proclaimed king. "This has gone on long enough!"

"Your life ends here, Vyrthur!" Serana shouted at the Snow Elf, fury lacing her voice.

"Child, my life ended long before you were born!"

The Snow Elf said more, but it was drowned out by the summoning of a massive Frost Atronach at least twice the size of Green's house.

He muttered a curse as the monster approached, and had to dodge a swing from the creature's thick arms. He dived between its legs and slashed at them with his sword. It barely made a dent. While he was still in its blind spot, he launched a few fireballs at the creature, and they seemed to have more effect.

Of course, this only enraged the Atronach more, and Green was forced to dive out of the way as the monster tried to grab him.

Rejoining Serana, he twirled his sword in his hands as he tried to figure out a weakness for the creature.

"What do you think?" He asked her.

"Easy," she replied, "boil it."

Green grinned at her. The floor was slick with water from the melted falmer, and it was up to their ankles. Climbing up on top of a fallen pillar and helping Serana and Tiny do the same, he turned to the Atronach, which was approaching slowly. Then he launched fireball after fireball into the water.

The Frost Atronach looked confusedly at him before the water began to heat up. Then its feet began to melt.

 _Hotter_ , Green thought, giving the water a taste of his Thu'um. "YOL TOOR SHUL!"

That was the final straw. With a deep bellow, the Frost Atronach melted into nothing.

Green took one glance at the boiling water and then shouted, "FO KRAH DIIN!"

White light shot forward from his throat, freezing the boiling water solid. Slowly, the trio approached Vyrthur's throne.

He was standing now, and he looked absolutely irate. He raised his hands, and a golden light surrounded him as he spoke. "No! I won't let you ruin centuries of preparations!" The room began to shake as more of the ceiling fell. Green casually sidestepped a pillar that fell over onto the spot where he had been standing.

"Surrender and give us the bow!" Serana told the Arch-Curate.

Vyrthur smiled grimly. "Death first!"

With a madman's cackle, he threw down his hands, and dozens of ice spikes shot forward as light consumed Green's vision.

When he came to, he was lying on the floor with a small slab of marble on his back. He tried to move, but the slab had him pinned well. Nothing seemed to be broken, however. But Vyrthur was getting away. Green tried to move, but it was pointless. He couldn't even stand.

Then Serana was there, heaving the piece of marble off of his back. She kneeled down and performed a healing spell as she spoke to him. "Are you alright?"

He grunted as the pain faded and he was able to stand shakily. "I think so."

"Come on," She said, steadying him. "We can do this, I know we can. He's up there on the balcony. Come on!"

Green followed her as they ran for the balcony, the wall separating the chapel and the marble overhang completely demolished.

The balcony had a wayshrine in the middle of it, the symbol of Auriel shining in the sunlight. Vyrthur stood at the end of the balcony, between two sets of stairs. Serana climbed one set and Green climbed the other, effectively trapping him.

"Enough, Vyrthur," Serana said. "Give us the bow!"

The Snow Elf was clutching his arm, blood pooling beneath his hand, but he stopped for a moment to draw himself up proudly. "How _dare_ you! I was the Arch-Curate of Auri-El, girl. I had the ears of a god!"

She sighed. "Until the 'Betrayed' corrupted you. Yes, yes, we've heard this sad story."

Vyrthur bit out a laugh. "Gelebor and his kind are easily manipulated fools. Look into my eyes, Serana. You tell me what I am."

Curious, Green tried to focus on the Arch-Curate's eyes. The sunlight seemed to distort them, making them…glow orange?

"You're…you're a vampire?" Serana exclaimed, taking a step back. "But Auriel should have protected you!"

Vyrthur scoffed. "The moment I was infected by one of my own Initiates, Auri-El turned his back on me. I swore I'd have my revenge…no matter what the cost."

Now it was Green's turn to scoff. "You want to take revenge…on a god?"

"Auri-El himself may have been beyond my reach, but his influence on our world wasn't." Vyrthur smiled that death-head's grin again. "All I needed was the blood of a vampire and his own weapon, Auriel's Bow."

Shock ran through Green, but Serana reached a conclusion first.

"The blood of a vampire…Auriel's Bow…" she muttered. Then her amber eyes flashed dangerously. "It was you? You created that prophecy?"

Vyrthur stopped clutching his arm and took a few steps forward, giving Green the idea that he was not as injured as he was pretending to be. Green took a step forward, raising his sword threateningly. Vyrthur ignored him.

"A prophecy that lacked a single, final ingredient…the blood of a pure vampire. The blood of a _Daughter of Coldharbour_."

Serana lashed out before Green could tell her not to, grabbing Vyrthur by his armor and hauling him into the air. Her voice cut like a knife, it was so angry. "You were waiting all this time for someone with my blood to come along." She shook the Snow Elf angrily. "Well, too bad for you…I intend on keeping it. Let's see if your blood has any power to it!"

Before she had even finished her sentence, Vyrthur had thrown her off, but instead of falling to the ground, he floated in the air. He glowed with a yellow light as he drew his knees up to his chest. He pushed outward with his limbs, and an explosion of yellow energy rocked the balcony, and only a hastily applied ward from Green kept them safe.

Vyrthur growled and rushed forward, his hands spewing fire, but Green sent a ball of lightning straight into the Snow Elf's chest. It was deflected at the last moment by Vyrthur's own ward, which he quickly reabsorbed to preserve magicka, sending out a blast of ice that was melted by Green's fire.

Serana took a step back, panting, to watch the magical battle. Both opponents were surrounded by light — Vyrthur's a sickly yellow and Green's the same shade of blue-purple as his lightning. They were both casting spells rapid-fire, but each one was deflected by the other.

She watched it all in a sense of awe, forgetting to join in the fight. She had thought Green was a powerful warrior, but this…this was his true gift. She had seen him use magic from time to time, of course, but never like this. He never faltered, never wavered. He was a machine, throwing spells — some of which Serana had never seen before — left and right like a master.

 _He's amazing._

The thought came unwelcome, but Serana found she believed it wholeheartedly.

Then something happened. Vyrthur's shield of light formed a minuscule crack which transformed into a colossal rift under Green's relentless assault. Desperate, Vyrthur spun his shield 180 degrees so that the broken part of the magical shield faced his back. Seeing an opportunity, Serana "snuck" up behind him, making sure to come across as very noisy as she raised her sword and pretended to swing for his unprotected back. Vyrthur turned towards her, snarling as he tried to defend himself.

Too late, he realized his mistake as Green's ball of lighting slammed through his shield and into his back.

And just like that, it was over. Vyrthur's body slammed into the ground from the impact of Green's lightning ball, where it lay broken and unmoving.

Instantly the evil presence lifted and Green found he could breathe again. He searched the Arch-Curate's body for clues on where Auriel's Bow was kept, but there was nothing.

Suddenly, the balcony began to rumble like it had before and Green raised his hands, afraid that somehow Vyrthur was still alive.

But no. Even as Green prepared himself for another battle, he watched the unactivated wayshrine in the middle of the balcony rise just like all the others. After a tense moment, Gelebor stepped out.

Green allowed himself to relax. It had been a long time since he had truly unleashed with his magic like that, and old instincts began to kick in. It had been well over a year since Alduin's defeat, and still the dead dragon had a hold on him.

"So," Gelebor said as Green and Serana descended the balcony stairs together. "The deed is done. The restoration of this wayshrine means that Vyrthur must be dead and the Betrayed no longer have control over him."

Green shook his head tiredly. "The Betrayed weren't to blame."

" _What?_ " Gelebor demanded. "What are you talking about?"

"He was a vampire," Serana explained. "He controlled the Betrayed."

He actually seemed to take a step back in surprise. "A vampire? I…see. That would explain much. Deep inside, it brings me joy that the Betrayed weren't to blame for what happened here."

Green quirked an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because that means that one day that they may one day shed their hatred and learn to believe in Auri-El once again. It's been a long time since I felt that way and it's been long overdue. My thanks. To both of you." He nodded at Serana.

"You're welcome." Green said.

"You've risked everything to get Auri-El's Bow, and in turn, you've restored the Chantry. I can't think of a more deserving champion than you. If you wish to learn more about the bow, you've but to ask."

Suddenly a warm orange glow appeared from behind Gelebor, and Green glanced behind the Snow Elf to see a magnificent silver bow that radiated a more intense version of that welcoming feeling he had grown accustomed to. He looked behind him to see a look of awe on Serana's face that matched the look on his own.

Satisfied that the crazy journey was almost over, Green took a step forward and wrapped his left hand around the bow.

Instantly that evil feeling manifested once more, spreading like wildfire from his left hand to the rest of his body. A pain more intense than any he had ever felt before ripped through his body, and when he flew backwards and hit the wall, he didn't even feel it.

The last thing he saw before darkness took him was the symbol of a daedric lord on his left hand.

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	24. Chapter 22

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In his dream, Green was back in the hallway with Serana before they confronted Vyrthur.

His face was burning from confessing everything he would do for her, but instead of looking weirded out, she looked…confused. And then happy. Immeasurably happy. Before Green had a chance to smile at her elation, she had wrapped her arms around him.

But this time, instead of kissing him, she thrust his head back and buried her teeth in her neck. A wave of cold rolled over him as a deep and cutting voice laughed.

Green woke with a start, and then fought hard not to groan in pain when what felt like a wave of fire rolled over his body.

Gritting his teeth, he waited for the pain to pass. When the fire ceased, a terrible cold seeped into his bones, numbing everything. At the very least, it allowed him to think clearly as he took in his surroundings.

He was lying on a cot in a room constructed out of white marble that gleamed like the sun. In the center of the room seemed to be a shrine to Auriel, and flowers surrounded its base. Torches gleamed in the corners of the room, providing dim illumination. There was a doorway to another room, but the door was shut.

Green looked back at himself, trying hard not to move lest another wave of pain assault him. He was horrified to find that his entire body was covered in blisters and burns. He looked like a piece of boiled leather. He was wearing a green velvet shirt and brown trousers, and he wondered who had changed his clothes.

No wonder it hurt to move.

But in looking at himself, Green also noticed the person with their head resting on his stomach. Oddly, where their head of dark hair touched his body, warmth - not the painful kind - spread, eliminating the awful coldness that had enveloped his body.

He smiled, despite the fact that it hurt his face to do so. Ignoring the pain, he reached out and put a burned hand on Serana's head. Warmth spread to his hand there, too.

Groaning, her eyes fluttered, and they opened slowly, gradually focusing on him. He smiled at her, but it turned into more of a grimace from the pain.

"You're awake!" She exclaimed, sitting up.

Green tried to nod, but the action hurt, so he settled for croaking, "Yes." His voice sounded like sandpaper. "What happened?"

She grinned at him and took his hand as she spoke, which caused his heart to flutter a bit. "Y-you were g-grabbing th-the bow, but as soon as you touched it, something happened. You started to glow and you were blown backward. By the time Gelebor and I got to you, your body was badly burned."

The images came back to him as she spoke. Unfortunately, the memory of the pain brought a new roll of fire over him, and he moaned in agony. Serana squeezed his hand, and that seemed to lessen some of it.

"How long was I out for?" He bit out.

She hesitated. "Six days."

 _Six days?!_

Green groaned again, but this time not from pain. They would have lost valuable time while he recovered.

If he ever recovered.

He closed his eyes. There was no way he could fight Harkon now. He could barely move! The thought of Serana facing that monster alone twisted his gut, and he took a deep breath to center himself.

"What's next?" He forced his face into the nearest thing to a smile.

Serana saw right through it. "Don't worry. Gelebor has a plan. He was getting everything ready the last time I talked to him. I was supposed to wake you up, but…"

She had fallen asleep. Now that she mentioned it, Green took a moment to examine his companion. There were bags under her eyes and her hair looked like it hadn't been combed in days. There was a tightness in her expression that suggested how worried she really was. Under his palm, her hand was shaking just slightly.

"Are you alright?" He asked her.

This elicited a laugh from her. "You were nearly burned to death, and you're asking me if I'm okay?"

Green smiled sheepishly. It hurt to move anything. "It's never stupid to ask you how you're doing."

Serana looked down, and unless his eyes were deceiving him, she was actually blushing a little bit.

Suddenly the door to the room opened, and Green winced at the sudden flash of brighter light. When his eyes were adjusted enough, he found Gelebor standing in the doorway.

"Oh, good," he said. "You're awake." He turned to Serana. "Everything is ready."

Green frowned. "Ready for what?"

Gelebor glanced at him. "She didn't tell you?"

Serana blushed again. "We were catching up."

"I see." The Snow Elf said, amusement sneaking into his voice. He turned back to Green. "There was a reason you were burned so badly by coming in contact with Auriel's Bow. Under normal circumstances, you wouldn't have been harmed and could have freely taken the weapon. However, things are more…complicated than that."

Green sensed Gelebor's hesitation. "What is it?"

Gelebor paused. "You have been marked by a daedric lord. I'm not sure exactly how, but judging from the fact that you have no memory of the event, it must have happened when you were a child. Usually, when one is marked by a daedric lord, they receive some sort of gift in exchange for completing a later task. Do you have any idea what sort of 'gift' you could have received?"

Gelebor's words hit Green like a blow from a giant. A daedric lord? Why would a daedric lord want him?

The answer was simple: he was the Dragonborn. Even without the gift of magic, he was powerful in his own right. Even a dumb human could see that his skills were valuable. A daedric lord, however…well, they could manipulate his life however they wanted to.

A memory suddenly struck Green, and he looked down at his left hand. Instead of the painful burns like on the rest of his body, the skin on top of his hand was untouched. Except for the mark of Molag Bal in charcoal-black coloring.

Seeing the mark made him shiver, and he closed his eyes to avoid looking at it.

A thousand other questions popped into his mind as he tried to gather his thoughts. What did Molag Bal want with him? How had he never noticed that he was being manipulated by a daedric lord before? How had he been claimed by the daedric lord? Had his birth parents performed some sort of ceremony? However, the question at the forefront of his mind was, _what did Molag Bal give him?_

"Magic," he muttered.

"What?" Gelebor and Serana asked at the same time.

"Magic," Green repeated, louder. "Molag Bal gave me magic."

It made sense. Several mages at the College had told him that he was more powerful than he had a right to be, and magic had come easily to him once he discovered his affinity for it. Violet was born without magic, and he wasn't. Violet never spoke about their parents, which seemed to suggest that she knew something about the event and never told him.

A newfound wave of anger towards his sister raged within him, but pain crashed into his body not long after, stemming the rage off as he cried out. Serana shared a concerned look with Gelebor.

"So what's the plan?" Green asked in his sandpaper voice when he had regained his composure.

"Luckily, there is something that I can do," Gelebor continued. "It is only a temporary fix, but it should allow you to take Auriel's Bow."

Green felt his patience stretching. "What is it?"

"I can perform a cleansing ceremony. It will be degrading, and you'll need to be able to stand. However, it will only allow you to handle artifacts from Auriel. Alas, I am without a clue as to how to fix the overall situation."

Green closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, wincing at the feeling of his chest moving. He just wanted to sleep for a few more hours; talking had taken a lot of energy out of him. But they couldn't afford to waste any more time.

"Very well," he said, sitting up even though each moment of movement was agony. "Let's get this over with."

With the help of Serana and Gelebor, Green was able to stand unsteadily. The simple action was so painful that he almost blacked out, and he was forced to lean heavily on Serana. The cold stone floor stung against Green's burned bare feet.

"This way," Gelebor said, leading them forward. "The place to perform the cleansing ceremony isn't far."

Serana and Green followed the Snow Elf into the next room, where yet another shrine of Auriel was set up. Surrounding it were a series of seemingly random objects: a few pieces of gold, the Dragon's Tongue flower, fire salts, a stone chair, a few spell tomes, a couple rubies, and even the wooden sword of a child.

Green stared at the wooden sword as Serana helped him into the stone chair. He'd had a sword like that when he was a child. Of course, he was soon forced to switch to a real sword to defend himself. This wooden sword was stained red, and he sincerely hoped blood did not stain the child's toy.

"So what are you planning to do, exactly?" He asked Gelebor nervously, eyeing the other items and trying not to move.

"It's just a simple thing," The Knight-Paladin replied. "However, I will need a few things before we begin."

"I thought you said you were ready," Serana said, crossing her arms.

"These things are of a more…personal nature. They can only be provided by Green himself." Gelebor looked back at the Dragonborn. "First, I will need your real first and last name."

 _Sounds easy enough,_ Green thought. "Thomas Galt."

"Your age?"

"Nineteen, almost twenty."

"Excellent," Gelebor said. "Now, in order for this to work, I need the name of someone you love to swear by."

Green froze. " _What?_ "

He was glad Serana was standing behind him, otherwise he was afraid he would have unconsciously looked at her.

The name of someone he loved? How cliche was that? What was this, some poorly-written romance novel? He almost scoffed at the thought. For the first time, he was glad his skin was so badly burned so that no one could see the heat spreading to his face.

Luckily, Gelebor clarified. "Just a family member or someone you care for. It doesn't have to be romantically."

Like that was much better. Green told Serana the truth when he said he didn't like to rely on others. It wasn't that he didn't like other people; he just found it easier to perform dangerous activities without worrying about someone he cared about. Of course, there was his sister, but he was still pissed at her and didn't feel like even uttering her name.

And he couldn't bring himself to say Serana's name, even if it was true. She had been so quick to shut him down after their kiss that he wasn't sure how she would take that. At worst, she would call him an idiot and leave him behind. At best, she would be kind and understanding as she turned him down, and he wasn't sure if he could handle that.

He hesitated. "Do they have to be alive?"

Gelebor thought about it for a moment. "Not necessarily."

 _That makes it easier,_ Green thought. "Zechariah. He was like a father to me."

Gelebor nodded. "That's all I need, then." He looked at Serana, who was still hovering protectively behind Green. "You may want to take a few steps back."

She nodded, squeezed Green's shoulder comfortingly (which actually didn't hurt; quite the opposite, actually) and stood in the doorway, watching.

Gelebor grabbed something from his pocket and held it out to Green.

It took his eyes a moment to focus on it. In the Snow Elf's hands was a small amulet with the symbol of Auriel hanging on a golden chain. Green reached up to grab it, wincing, but Gelebor moved it out of his reach.

"Not yet," he said. "You're still marked, remember?"

Green lowered his hand. "So what are you doing?"

"Patience," Gelebor started. "Allow me to begin."

He launched into a long monologue about how in his only known moment of weakness, Auriel agreed to take his part in the creation of the mortal plane. That act forever sundered the Elves from the spirit's world of eternity. To make up for it, Auri-El led the original Aldmer against the armies of Lorkhan in the Mythic Era. Together Auri-El, Trinimac, and the Aldmer vanquished Lorkhan and established the first kingdoms of the Aldmer, Aldmeris and Old Ehlnofey. He then ascended to Heaven in full observance of his followers so that they might learn the steps needed to escape the mortal plane. **(To be honest, I copied that right off the Elder Scrolls Wikia. Please forgive me.)**

Finally Gelebor got into the meat of the issue. "I ask Auri-El to cleanse Thomas Galt of the darkness that Molag Bal has placed on him so that he can be allowed to defeat the evil vampire known as Harkon." He turned to Green. "Now you must promise on the name of a loved one to carry out this task."

Green nodded, and for once that day his voice came out normally. "I swear on the life of Zechariah."

Gelebor nodded. "Then the ceremony is complete. Now we must see whether or not Auri-El accepts the promise."

Silence reigned for a long time. Green waited for what felt like eternity in his burned body, waiting for some sort of sign that the agreement had been accepted. After five minutes of nothing happening, however, Gelebor sighed.

"Perhaps you require the name of a living loved one."

Green closed his eyes. There was no way around it. Swallowing his embarrassment, he spoke. "Then I swear on the life of Serana."

For a long moment, nothing happened. Green opened one eye to stare at the amulet, purposely looking at anything but Serana. Then the amulet held in Gelebor's hand began to glow a warm orange. The light grew so bright that Green had to close his eyes for a moment to avoid going blind. When he opened them, the amulet looked almost exactly the same as before, except for the soft orange glow surrounding it.

"The covenant is accepted," Gelebor said, holding out the amulet for Green. "Take the amulet to make it official."

Green grimaced as he placed the amulet around his neck, the pain spreading with each movement that he took.

Then something strange happened. The same glow surrounding the amulet spread from it to his chest and then to the rest of his body. With the light came the familiar welcoming feeling that he had begun to know of all things related to Auriel. It spread through his whole body, and soon he was glowing so brightly that he couldn't see anything else. When the light faded, his body was changed.

Instead of being covered in burns, his skin was the familiar pale, smooth texture he had known his whole life. His exhaustion was gone, replaced with grim determination. He checked his left hand, only to discover that the symbol of Molag Bal was still there, if faded a bit. He checked his face and wasn't surprised to find that the bump of his green scars were still there.

"It took away the burns, but not the scars," Serana noted. Her face was a perfect example of surprise.

Gelebor shrugged. He was by far the least surprised person in the room. "Our scars make us who we are. If Auri-El were to take those away, Green would stop being Green."

It was true. Thomas had been a scared little kid. His transformation into Green, the Dragonborn, would begin with the possession of the scars on his face. If he didn't have those, he didn't know if he would revert back into Thomas.

"What's next?" Green asked, glad that his voice had remained normal. He didn't look at Serana.

"Now you take Auriel's Bow," Gelebor said, helping Green stand. There was no pain. "And you defeat this 'Harkon.'"

Green shook Gelebor's hand. "Thank you for your help."

The Snow Elf shook his head. "It was the least I could do."

Gelebor led them back through the hallways of the Chantry until they were once again on the balcony. Auriel's Bow was in the same position as before, gleaming brightly in the night.

Green only hesitated for a moment before grasping the bow firmly. He winced in anticipation, but other than a faint tingling in his hand, nothing happened. Letting out a breath he didn't know he had been holding, Green shouldered the bow and turned to Serana, avoiding eye contact.

She spoke first. "It's…not as shiny as I was expecting. Still, it's beautiful."

"So what do we do now?" Green asked, staring at her chin.

"I think we both know," Serana said, and there was only a hint of sadness in her voice. "It's time to face my father. If we don't, he'll keep hunting us for the rest of our lives."

He wanted to say something to comfort her, but didn't know what. "If we do, he'll have to die."

Serana visibly swallowed. "I've been thinking about this for a long time. It's…it's not easy. But I don't think we have much of a choice." She seemed to steel herself. "No. This has to end here and now."

Green wanted to say something, to touch her comfortingly, to offer her some kind of support, but he couldn't. Instead, he settled for, "Then let's face him. Together."

She nodded. "If we head back to the castle and kick the front door in, we're going to be knee-deep in his friends. Let's head back to Isran and let him see what we've got first. I'm betting he'll lend us a sword or two."

Green mustered up a smile for her, but somehow he knew she could see through it. If she knew what was bothering him, however, she didn't say anything.

He swallowed. "Let's get going, then."

Only to himself did he add: _Let's just hope we can make it back to the fort in one piece._

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	25. Chapter 23

**Sorry I couldn't post yesterday, guys. I'm not sure if it was my wifi or the website, but I couldn't get FF to load.**

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Odahviing set them down in the Falkreath wilderness, a few miles from the Ancestor Glade that Isran had described.

"My apologies, Dovah," the dragon told Violet as she dismounted. "There is no safe place for me to land close to this…glade."

"It's alright," Violet told him, even though the panic in her chest hadn't faded a single iota. "We'll walk."

She waited just long enough for Marcurio to dismount and warm himself up before setting off again. Her pace quickly increased from a relaxed walk to a panicked sprint once again, however.

She _knew_ that she had been an idiot for not telling Green about what their parents had done. There had been so many times Violet had almost told him, but it would have broken him up inside to learn what their parents had done to him. That was what it had done to Violet. So instead, she had borne the burden of an older sibling and let him think that their parents were nothing more than just jerks - not worshippers of a daedric lord.

She had almost forgotten that she wasn't traveling alone, but when someone grabbed her arm from behind she remembered just in time to keep from drawing her sword on Marcurio.

"You need to take a break," he told her, his gray eyes deadly serious. "You're shaking."

Violet forced herself to stop shuddering. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not, Violet!" Marcurio's voice was hard, but not unkind. "You need to take a break and tell me what's going on. The whole story. _Please_."

Violet almost refused again, but something about the way he said "please" and the worry in his eyes stopped her. Finally, she sighed. "Fine. I have a house not far from here. I need to resupply anyways."

She adjusted her path slightly but didn't slow down her pace, and she could hear Marcurio huffing and puffing behind her, though nowhere near as much as he had when he first started traveling with her. It appears that she helped him get fit.

They came to a stop before a small house that overlooked a lake. Unused lumber was piled in one corner along with clay and stone, and the carpenter's workbench nearby looked well-used. The house itself was well crafted and radiated a warm light in the evening. Violet checked the perimeter and then ushered Marcurio inside before locking the door behind her.

He was sitting in a handmade chair, waiting for her expectantly when she turned to look at him. Violet cautiously sat on the bed across from the mage, well aware that this was the most they had spoken in a week since the…incident. She avoided his gray eyes, knowing that they would see everything she was feeling if she looked into them.

So instead she stared at his forehead and began the story of what she had seen on the day of Green's birth. She still didn't know how Susan giving birth to Green had escaped her notice (she had been a very observant child). She didn't even know what exactly Molag Bal had planned for her brother, and as a result her explanations were lacking. Nevertheless, Marcurio listened intently, and Violet found herself remembering that that was one of the many reasons she cared for him so.

When she was finished, his eyes were keenly fixed on hers and she realized with a start that she had been looking into them the whole time. He stood suddenly and sat next to her on the bed, making the mattress dip with the added weight.

"Your parents never named you?" Marcurio asked softly.

Violet nodded slowly, also realizing that she hadn't even told Green about that fact. Why was it so easy to share things with this man?

His expression took on an emotion that Violet had never thought she wanted: sympathy. But looking at him, she realized a third thing: she _needed_ sympathy. Growing up the way she did (even after her parents had died), none of the adults had listened to her. None of the adults had _wanted_ to listen to her. Thus, Violet had always assumed that _nobody_ would listen to her. But this one man seemed to listen, and even understand what had happened to her.

An understanding seemed to pass between them then, and Marcurio wrapped his arms around her in a hug, and she let him. She was tense for but a moment before she melted into it, secretly relishing the human contact. He smelled strangely like vanilla.

They stayed like that for a long time before the sound of a wind-blown branch hitting the side of the house broke them apart.

"Have I ever told you how I met Green?" Violet asked Marcurio.

He raised his eyebrows at her in amusement. "You haven't told me anything before now, remember?"

She felt heat rush to her face. "Right. Anyway, I was working at an inn at the edge of Cyrodiil, practically on the border between the Empire and Skyrim. I was working as a bard and was falling asleep in a chair when the door bursts open, and this scared looking kid walks in. His left eye is red and he has three strange green marks around it. His clothes are bloody and he looks like he's just run a marathon.

"Of course, this was almost Skyrim, so nobody asked questions when he asked the innkeeper for a room in the voice of a mouse. But then the innkeeper asked him for his name, and he says, 'Thomas.' And I remember what happened to my brother.

"Then no less than five Imperial Soldiers busted into the inn, covered in rain and soaking wet. They attacked Thomas as soon as they set eyes on him, and the kid managed to hold his own. But something told me to help, and I helped him fend them off before he was completely overwhelmed. Then we had to run, and you can read the legends for all the events afterwards." Violet chuckled to herself. "He almost had a heart attack when I told him who I thought he was."

"How did you find out for sure?" Marcurio asked her.

She shrugged. "We didn't, until some Priestess of Kynareth told us that we were the spitting image of one another. We asked her to perform some type of magical test, and she did. Turns out I had been right all along. We were thick as thieves after that." She paused. "Then, of course, we had the argument…"

Violet had told Marcurio about the argument, of course. He squeezed her shoulder comfortingly, and the action turned her stomach into jelly. She wasn't sure why that happened whenever he was around, but she found that she actually had come to enjoy it.

"And then you found me, and we embarked on a quest to help fix the relationship with your brother," Marcurio mused, oblivious to what she was thinking. "If you never had that argument with Green, I probably wouldn't have met you properly."

Violet cocked her head at him. "I…hadn't thought about that."

He was smiling almost sadly at her. "It's alright. Family is important, isn't it? I understand if -"

Before she could convince herself not to, Violet leaned forward and planted a kiss on his lips.

It was short, no more than a few seconds, but it was more than enough to shut him up and spread that pleasant jelly-like feeling through her whole body.

When she pulled away, there was a goofy grin on his face, and she couldn't help smiling herself. She almost did it again, but unfortunately, life caught up to them.

The sudden sound of a branch snapping outside the house sent them both jumping to their feet with their weapons (or in Marcurio's case, magic) at the ready.

A long moment passed, and then another branch snapped. Cautiously, Violet and Marcurio crept out of the house.

Violet held up a hand, signaling for Marcurio to stop moving, as a set of voices were heard in the distance.

"We've been going in circles," a female voice complained.

"We are not _lost_ ," a male voice replied. "I'm sure we're close to the ro…crap."

Just then, the two strangers stepped through the underbrush, their torches raised. Violet realized with a gasp that she recognized the man.

He was wearing a green velvet shirt and brown trousers, but his shoes were tattered and he was practically barefoot. A polished sword with a shining pommel stone shone at his waist. He had a torch in one hand that clearly illuminated his face. He had dark hair, bright green eyes, and three green scars over his left eye.

It was Green.

Thomas.

* * *

 **Don't count on anything, but I may double-post today because I couldn't post yesterday.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **Why did the hipster fall in the lake?**

 **He went ice-skating before it was cool.**


	26. Chapter 24

Green waved a long branch out of his face and coughed. The wind was blowing the smoke from his torch back in his face. He missed his armor. Unfortunately, it had been almost completely melted in the blast that had nearly killed him, so he was stuck wearing normal clothes. He heard Serana snort from behind him, but didn't respond.

He was still too embarrassed from what he had said during the cleansing ceremony to have a conversation that was more than a few words with her. They had barely spoken in the past few hours.

Of course, that had to lead to problems. Green was pretty sure he knew where they were, but he was also pretty sure that they had passed the same tree stump at least three times. Of course, he could just ask Serana her opinion on where to go, but he couldn't bring his tongue to work.

This was exactly why he tried not to rely on people.

But with Serana, he couldn't bring himself _not_ to care. It was too late for that. Besides, he needed her help. She was a talented fighter and more resourceful than he was. She knew her way around Castle Volkihar and would be invaluable in the battle to come.

There was also the fact that he wasn't sure what he would do without her personality, or her sense of humor, or…

 _Focus!_

"We've been going in circles," Serana finally said.

"We are not _lost_ ," Green replied, even though he knew it was true. "I'm sure we're close to the ro…"

He knew those trees.

And once he realized that, the ground beneath him became familiar. He had spent five months building his home on it, after all.

"Crap," Green said, right as they broke through the treeline and Lakeview Manor became visible. Along with the two people standing there.

The first was a man in orange mage robes with two spells waiting in his hands to be cast. He wore no hood, so Serana could see that he had darker skin, black hair, and gray eyes.

The other was a woman in black leather armor who was holding a bow in her hands. She had a glass sword on her hip, which reflected the light from their torches on her head. She had dark brown hair and green eyes that shone like the sun - just like Green's, Serana realized.

Green spoke first.

" _Violet?_ " He demanded.

" _Thomas?_ " The woman with brown hair demanded, equally surprised.

The woman that Serana assumed was Violet took a step forward, then stopped herself. Green held himself as rigid as a board. His jaw visibly twinged.

"What's going on?" The man in mage robes asked. "Violet, who is this?"

 _Yes,_ Serana thought, feeling an irrational pang of jealousy. _Who is this?_

"This is Thom - I mean, this is Green. My brother," Violet said, still staring at Green.

" _What?_ " Serana and the mage exclaimed at the same time.

"DIE!" A voice shouted.

Something slammed into Serana, knocking her to the ground. The arrow aimed for her head affixed itself to a nearby tree. Green rolled off of her and grabbed her hand, dragging her to her feet as a swarm of vampires gathered near the treeline, all of them growling like rabid animals.

"Inside the house!" He yelled, running with Serana in tow as more arrows rained down around them.

He threw open the door and Violet and the mage followed him inside. Serana slammed the door shut behind them. Hastily, the four of them piled furniture in front of it until they were reasonably sure nothing could get through.

"Those were vampires," Violet said, pointing at the door. "Thomas, why are there vampires after you?"

Green scowled. "My _name_ is _Green_. And I don't have to explain everything to you."

"No, I agree." The mage said. "Why are there vampires after you? And why do you have one with you?"

Serana glanced at the new mage. "My _name_ is Serana."

Green crossed his arms, glaring at the mage. "Who's this?"

"Marcurio," the mage said, his voice just as tense.

"Let's just calm down," Violet said, stepping between the two men.

Green's scowl deepened. "Since when do you care about _calm_?"

She scowled as well, and Serana instantly believed that Violet and Green were related.

"What do you mean?" She demanded. "I'm calm!"

Marcurio touched her arm gently. "Maybe not…all the time?"

Green's eyes narrowed at the mage. "Don't touch my sister!"

Serana touched his arm to calm him in a similar manner, and it worked. Green took a deep breath, and some of the redness vanished from his face.

Violet smirked.

Suddenly the house shook, and hissing could clearly be heard from the other side.

"Again," she said. "Vampires. Why?"

"That's a long story," Serana explained.

"And from the looks of it, we don't have time to tell it," Green said, drawing Dawnbreaker from its scabbard.

"Is there any other way out of here?" Marcurio asked.

"No," Green replied at the same time that Violet said, "Yes."

Green glared at her. "What did you do to my house?"

His sister shrugged. "I added an escape tunnel."

Marcurio stared at her. "You're amazing."

Uncharacteristically from what Serana had seen so far, Violet blushed furiously.

Serana cleared her throat. "Maybe we should use the escape tunnel? You with me?"

"Right," Marcurio coughed. "Of course."

Violet led them to the corner of the small house and pulled away a rug to reveal a small trapdoor. Before anyone could use it, however, another rumble shook the house, but this time from underneath. Serana began to stumble, but Green caught her. Violet pulled open the trapdoor and dust flew up and into her face. She coughed violently and fanned it out of her way.

"Looks like that way is cut off," Serana commented, shrugging Green's hands off her shoulders. "It looks like my father sent the bright ones after us this time."

"Your…father?" Violet asked, confusion lacing her voice.

"Another time," Green answered. "It looks like the only way in or out is through the front door. Great."

Violet drew her glass sword. "It looks like we're going to have to fight our way out."

"But how?" Marcurio demanded. "There have to be dozens of them and only four of us."

"Simple," Violet responded, reaching into her satchel and pulling something out. "We wolf out."

The fear that Serana associated with the wolf filled Green's eyes again. "Violet, you know I can't. I might l-lose control."

"Yes, you can," Violet insisted. She tossed the object to Green, who caught it gracefully and looked at it. His eyes widened.

"Is this what I think it is?" He asked.

Violet nodded. "The Ring of Hircine."

In Green's outstretched hand was a silver ring that almost seemed to glow in the house's dim lighting. On it was carved a wolf's head with emerald eyes. Like any daedric artifact, Serana could sense power rolling off of it.

"What's the Ring of Hircine?" She asked.

"I thought it was just a myth," Green began to explain. "Legend says that it allows a werewolf to control their transformations."

Serana's eyes widened. She grabbed Green's arms in excitement. "This is exactly what you need!"

He smiled, and she felt like that smile lit up the whole room.

"We went through a lot of trouble to get that for you," Marcurio said, crossing his arms. "I hope it was worth it."

Green stared at his sister, shock playing across his features. "You got this for me?"

Violet shrugged. "Anything for a sibling, right?"

He stepped forward and wrapped her in a giant hug, which she returned after a moment. It would have been more touching if they didn't have a pack of vampires breathing down their necks.

 _WHAM!_

Something big and loud slammed into the front doors of the house. One of the chairs fell from the top of the pile and broke into splinters on the floor.

"That's not good," Marcurio commented.

Violet started to take off her armor. "Come on, Green."

Green handed Auriel's Bow to Serana and began to take off his shirt before slipping the ring onto his index finger. "Let's go."


	27. Chapter 25

**i'm tired.**

* * *

Narius watched the house as his fellow vampires hit the doors with the battering ram again. Harkon would be pleased when Narius brought him the heads of Serana and the man known as Green. Narius would be sure to gain a promotion to an advisor position in the court after this.

The battering ram slammed into the doors for the third and final time. The wood flew backwards into the house, and Narius' vampiric soldiers aimed their arrows at the dark doorway.

 _ROOOOAAAAR_!

Narius covered his ears as two wolf howls broke through the night. He had just enough time to think, oh no, before the two werewolves came into sight.

Green padded out of his home feeling better than he had in years. Unlike usual, he was in complete control of his wolf form, and it felt more liberating than he could say. Violet followed him out, her wolf form a little smaller but no less intimidating.

The vampires paused when they saw the two werewolves, but Narius smiled. It had been a long time since he had participated in a wolf hunt. Too long. He grabbed his sword. He was going to enjoy this.

Serana watched as Green and his sister attacked the assembled vampires, but the enemy wasn't exactly defenseless. She couldn't just sit by and observe as they fought alone. She drew her sword, being careful to hide Auriel's Bow inside the house.

After a moment, she heard the mage Marcurio join her, heralded by a massive blast of fire that roasted the vampires not being mauled by Green and Violet.

Serana launched an ice spike at an approaching vampire and at the one behind it after the first one perished. Green threw a vampire towards her, and she could have sworn she saw the werewolf smile at her through its snout.

Marcurio threw more fireballs at a wall of vampires marching for him, muttering a curse under his breath. There were just _so many!_ He kept striking down one after another, but another vampire would immediately take their place. And they just kept creeping closer and closer…

Suddenly one of the vampires rushed forward, and Marcurio was so surprised that the fireball he sent hurtling towards the vampire missed. The vampire was inside his defense in a moment and slashed its sword across Marcurio's chest. Luckily, he had enough common sense to jump back at the last moment. The sword still bit into his skin, but the wound was nowhere near as bad as it could have been.

Then Violet was there, backhanding the offending vampire with her claw so hard that it flew backwards and turned the tree it collided with into splinters. She winked at him with her strange yellow eyes and attacked the wall of vampires approaching. Marcurio smiled through the pain and joined her.

Narius watched from afar as the tide of battle turned in favor of the hounds and scowled. How could they - dogs, nothing more - defeat seasoned vampire warriors? It was impossible and illogical. Lord Harkon would be most displeased if Narius came back empty handed.

Although, he thought as he watched the powerful mage apprentice fall behind, clutching his chest wound, I need not return without leverage.

The battle was over as quickly as it had started. The vampires that were not slain turned and ran away, only to be shot in the back by fireballs from Marcurio.

Violet transformed back quickly, placing a tunic over herself before anyone could see her. Green, however, was another matter.

Green stood in the middle of the field of bodies, trying to change back to his normal form, but something was blocking him. The wolf didn't want to go.

 _No_! The wolf said, speaking for the first time since Green had transformed. _We're not done yet!_

 _Yes, we are,_ Green told it. _I have control over you now._

 _Do you?_

He looked down at the Ring of Hircine on his finger, only to discover that it was glowing brightly. It was growing hotter and hotter on his furry finger.

 _No!_ Green thought. The wolf was growing stronger by the second.

 _Yes_.

The ring burned his finger, sending up a smell of burned flesh into the air. He howled in pain, and the ring snapped off of his finger, breaking into a million little pieces.

Right then, Violet knew they were all in deep trouble. Green growled and turned to look at his friends. Only it wasn't Green. Not anymore.

The Wolf took another step forward, and Violet quickly turned to Serana. "Quick! Talk to him. Snap him out of it!"

Serana looked at the Wolf, and then at Violet. "Me? Why me? You're his sister!"

"Why do you think Green never mentioned me to you? We don't get along all that well! You're special to him. I can see it. Now talk. To. Him."

Serana took a step forward, and the Wolf's focus centered on her. She swallowed her fear and began to speak.

"Green! It's me! It's Serana. I'm your friend, remember?"

The Wolf didn't hesitate. It took another step forward, growling.

Time to switch tactics.

"Gre - Thomas!" That got his attention. The Wolf paused, though it was still growling. Now she just needed to know what she was going to say to him. "I have a hard time facing emotions." Was that a flash of humanity she saw in those eyes? "Growing up the way I did, I had to. But for some reason, it's easier to do it around you." Yellow eyes flashed green for just a moment, and the Wolf stood perfectly still. She had to keep going, even if it was hard. "It always has been. You were always easy to talk to, and I never knew why it was harder to push things down around you, but now I do. Nobody ever treated me like an equal before. But you did. You still do. And I've never really thanked you for it." She swallowed. "So thank you. For all of it."

The Wolf stepped away as yellow eyes turned green permanently. Green's body began to shrink back to normal size. In no time, he was back to normal, but he was sobbing, and his body was shaking so hard that the amulet of Auriel around his neck seemed to vibrate.

Serana didn't know why she did it. She just couldn't stand to see him in pain like that. She crouched down and wrapped him in a hug to stop the crying and shaking.

Violet watched it all with a small smile on her face. Her brother deserved someone who cared about him like that. Now she finally knew why he had been traveling with a vampire. Or at least, she knew why he had done it for so long.

Thinking about that inevitably traced her thoughts back to Marcurio, and she turned around to speak to him, but he was no longer behind her. Instead, small puddles of blood led back to the house. She shrugged, thinking that he had probably gone to bandage the wound in his chest. She glanced back at her brother, and, knowing that Green and Serana would probably be there for a while, she followed Marcurio's trail back to the house.

Violet stepped over the pile of furniture in front of the doorway. "Are you alright, Marc? I saw that you were…"

Something was wrong.

Instead of sitting on the bed bandaging his wounds like she expected him to be, Marcurio was nowhere to be found. Instead, a large pool of blood sat on the floor where he should have been. Leaning down, Violet saw that a large piece of fabric, torn from his mage robes, had been placed there.

He was gone.

* * *

 **Why was the king only a foot tall?**

 **He was a ruler!**

 **Please Review, guys.**


	28. Chapter 26

**Mu-ha-ha! I love writing plot twists. They're fun.**

* * *

Marcurio woke with a bucket of water being tossed on him.

He jumped to his feet, startled so badly that he forgot to even ignite the magicka on his hands. ' _What the hell, Violet?'_ He wanted to say, but something stopped him as he opened his eyes. This wasn't the forest. That wasn't his bedroll. And the woman holding the bucket wasn't Violet. Quite the opposite, actually. Where Violet was strong and calm with a tall posture, this woman was shaking all over and looked to be scared out of her mind. Nevermind the fact that she looked nothing like Violet with her blond hair and blue eyes.

Marcurio took a moment to observe his surroundings. He seemed to be in another dungeon, but this one was a lot less well-maintained than Dragonsreach. The cement ground was moist and moldy, and the cell he was in smelled like urine, sweat and blood. It was poorly lit, but he could still see the three other people in the cell with him.

"Where am I?" He asked the woman who had woken him with the bucket of water.

"She doesn't speak," a male voice said. It shook uncontrollably, and it took Marcurio a moment to interpret what was said and turn to the speaker.

It was a man with brown hair and eyes so dark they were almost black. He wore the same roughspun tunic as the rest of the prisoners (including Marcurio) and he was shaking just as badly as the woman with the bucket. He seemed to be in his mid-thirties.

"Who are you?" Marcurio asked the man.

"I am Logan," the man said, "but we're not supposed to speak our names here."

"Why not?"

"The masters don't like it," another male voice said. Marcurio eyed him and was surprised to find a Dark Elf in the cell with him, around the age of fourteen. He was so short that he barely came up to Marcurio's armpit.

Marcurio shook his head and massaged his temples as a headache began to form behind his forehead. "What masters? Where am I?"

"You're in Castle Volkihar," Logan told him, "but we're not supposed to speak of that either. As for who the masters are -"

"They're _vampires_ ," the young Dark Elf said. He spoke the word not with disgust, but with fear. "They feed off of us."

Fear twisted in Marcurio's stomach, but he forced himself to ignore it. "You're thralls."

"Not thralls," Logan corrected. "Cattle."

Marcurio ran his hands through his hair and began to pace.

This was not happening. This _could not_ be happening! The last thing he remembered, he had been standing behind Violet, praying that Green wouldn't devour them all. When he began to change back to his normal form, Marcurio stumbled back to the house, searching for some kind of bandage. And then…

And then there had been a vampire waiting for him. Before Marcurio could have done anything, the vampire had knocked him over the head with the leg from a chair. That was the last thing he remembered.

Marcurio forced himself to take deep breaths. There was no way Violet would have missed his absence. She would be coming for him. She would.

But he needed to make it easier for her. She was so hot-headed that she would charge right in without thinking about the consequences, and she could very well get herself killed. Marcurio needed to be ready for her. He couldn't afford to be a coward.

He needed to escape.

 **x x x**

Violet came to a stop outside Helgen. She had not been here in a long, long time. But there was someone there that she needed to see.

But this time, there was no Marcurio panting behind her. No voice spoke his concerns. There was no hand to stop her as she knocked on the doors of the broken town.

But this time she wouldn't be knocking.

"FUS RO DAH!"

The gates flew off their hinges, crushing the bandits lying in wait behind them. The assassins and thieves stared at her in disbelief, but Violet wasn't here for them. Not today.

She stormed past the assembled miscreants and shouted anyone stupid enough to get in her way to bits. After the first few perished, they left her alone. At least, they did until she reached the keep.

The bandits standing guard there raised their weapons, but Violet disarmed them all with her Thu'um. They let her pass after that, and she stormed into Naldo's office. The Orc was waiting for her expectantly, his hands folded together as he observed her.

Violet didn't waste any time. She rushed forward, placing her glass sword to his neck, and pushing him back in his chair until he was almost parallel to the floor. Only her hand on his fine shirt, under her sword, kept him upright. The trolls behind them began to protest, but Violet silenced them both with, "YOL TOOR SHUL!"

"Now," she said, turning back to Naldo, her green eyes full of fire. "Where. Is. He?"

Naldo shrugged, seemingly unconcerned with the fact that she was threatening his life. "You know the rules. No money, no sight."

"Damn it, Naldo! I don't have time to pay you! Every moment that I waste is another moment that he could be dead!" She realized her eyes were wet and blinked the moisture away, pressing the sword closer to his throat. It drew just a bit of blood. "And besides, I used the last of my money paying you last time. You're not exactly cheap."

Naldo tried to shrug again, but froze when the sword's edge cut into his green skin a little bit more. "You know the rules," he repeated.

Something in Violet snapped then. "You asked for this, Naldo." Turning her head to the ceiling, she shouted at the top of her lungs, "STRUN BAH QO!"

For a long moment, nothing happened. Then rain could be heard slamming into the roof of the keep.

Naldo laughed. "That's all you got, girl?"

Violet waited, and soon thunder was heard in the distance. Then it got closer. And closer. And then a sudden cracking sound came as lightning struck the next building over.

The Orc's eyes widened with horrible realization.

"That's right, Naldo," Violet told him, her voice shaking with anger. "If you don't tell me where Marcurio is right now, I'm going to bring this whole town down around your ears. And when I'm gone, who do you think all those thieves, smugglers, bandits, gossipers, assassins, and serial killers will blame?"

"N-n-now let's not be hasty," Naldo stammered. "I'm s-sure we can work out an agreement."

She shook her head. "No. No ' _agreement_ ,' Naldo. You're going to tell me where he is free of charge because it's the _right thing to do._ "

He nodded feverishly, even though the action cut his throat just a little bit more. When Violet was sure that he was going to cooperate, she removed the sword and stood in front of him.

Naldo spoke quickly. "Marcurio Stagshot was spotted in a company of vampires on their way to a castle on an island off the coast of Solitude."

Violet paused. "Is he alive?"

Naldo was shaking. "I…I don't know."

She raised her sword.

"Wait!" He whimpered, raising his arms over his head in a feeble attempt at protection. "I might be able to find out!"

Violet returned her sword to her side. "I'm listening. Go on."

"I-I-I can use the Sight to find him! I'll tell you where he is and what he's doing!"

She crossed her arms. "What are you waiting for? Do it, then."

He nodded and closed his eyes, breathing deeply. When he opened them nearly a minute later, they were milky white. The voice that spoke was his own, though.

"He's at a place called Castle Volkihar. He's surrounded by vampires, though kept separate from them. He…he's in a cage. He's alive!"

Violet felt a weight lift from her shoulders. Marcurio was alive! However, Naldo's next words chill her.

"He's being used as cattle by the vampires. They haven't fed off of him yet, but the time when they will is fast approaching. He's planning on escaping, but he doesn't know the danger he's in. If he tries to escape, he could be killed."

Naldo slouched back into his chair as the power of Sight left him. When he came back around, Violet was already on her way out. She paused just long enough to shout, "LOK VAH KOOR!" and to make sure that the storm outside really had stopped before she moved on.

"Wait!" Naldo said, making her pause. She turned back to him.

"What is it?"

He swallowed. "This mage…you love him, don't you?"

Her face gave away no clues.

"That wasn't part of our agreement."

 **Please review!**

 **Why can't pirates finish the alphabet?**

 **They get lost at C!**


	29. Chapter 27

**I may double-update today just because I missed school so I'm bored.**

 **Fair warning: this chapter has a lot of brother and sister stuff.**

* * *

Green was lost in thought when he and Serana returned to Fort Dawnguard. He didn't even notice he was about to walk into the door to the fort until Serana grabbed his shoulder and pulled him backwards.

"Huh?" He said, blinking as he realized what had happened. "Oh, uh…thanks."

Serana realized she was still touching his shoulder and pulled her arm back, rushing into the fort without another word to him. Green watched her go, not even bothering to hide the look on his face.

"Well, you look like you've been punched. She dump you, or the other way around?"

Green turned to look at Hadvar, who had joined him at his side.

Hadvar had been placed in charge of a small squadron of about twelve or so men, and the Imperial Legion had placed them under Green's command for the assault in exchange for his aid in defeating the Stormcloaks.

Green sighed. "It's…complicated."

"She definitely dumped you, then," Hadvar theorized, though the smile on his face told Green that he was trying to make a joke.

He couldn't possibly know how much that joke hurt, though.

Green sighed again. Ever since the battle at Lakeview Manor, and after she had said all those things to him that he still remembered to snap him back to his regular form, she had been unusually distant. Not cold, but…farther away. Had he offended her somehow?

Realization hit him like a blast from an Ice Wraith.

"Oh…" he moaned, "I'm an idiot."

Hadvar smiled at him. "You finally realized it, didn't you?"

Green nodded and then squinted at his friend in mock suspicion. "How do you know so much about this?"

Hadvar shrugged. "What can I say? Back in Cyrodiil, I'm a ladies man." When that earned a snort from Green, he continued in a slightly more serious tone. "Besides, even a blind man could see that you've got it bad for that woman."

Green looked at his feet. "Is it that obvious?"

"Oh, it's more than obvious."

He shoved the soldier, smiling. "Shut up!"

They conversed for a few more minutes, then went their separate ways. Green entered the fort while Hadvar went to oversee the Imperial Soldiers, who were setting up camp.

Violet was sitting on a bench in the main room, reading a book, while the Dawnguard busied their war preparations around her. She looked as if she were in another world, though. She looked absolutely exhausted, and Green suspected than she hadn't slept a wink since Marcurio had disappeared.

Green had never thought that his sister would be able to feel that way towards someone. She had always seemed too…businesslike. She was always focused on the task at hand. But obviously she had feelings towards this mage, and Green could respect that. But he still had a bone to pick with her.

He plopped down on the bench next to her and got right down to business. "Did you know what our parents did to me?"

Violet looked up at him, startled. The bags under her eyes were an ugly shade of purple. "What?"

"Did you know that our parents were worshippers of Molag Bal?"

She looked down, shame overtaking her features as she slowly closed the book she was reading. "Yes." Her voice was unusually quiet.

That anger filled him again, but it was somewhat muted by the fact that she looked absolutely miserable.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked her.

She waited a long moment before responding. "Do you remember the first thing we saw in Skyrim?"

Green frowned. What did that have to do with anything? No matter. He would play along. "A waterfall. Why?"

"Do you remember what you said?"

He searched his memory, but he didn't have to look for long. "I said, 'It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.'"

Violet nodded. "You had just lost your adoptive father, Green. Your life was falling apart. But you were still able to see beauty in the simplest things. I was never able to do that. I saw what our parents did to you on the day you were born. Ever since, I was never able to see things the way you do. It's like…seeing things through a broken lense. I want to see things like you do, but I just…can't. I thought that at least one of us should be able to see the world like you do. Telling you about what happened to you…it would be like hanging a weight around your neck. I couldn't do it."

She looked back up at him. "I'm sorry. I know it was wrong. But I wouldn't change what I did."

Green rubbed his face and watched some of the members of the Dawnguard running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

Finally he said, "I forgive you."

Violet almost fell out of her chair. " _What_?"

"I forgive you," Green repeated. "I've learned a lot of things in the past couple of months. But probably the biggest lesson is that family is important."

Violet stared at him. "You've learned a lot, baby brother."

He frowned. "I'm not your baby brother."

"You're younger than me."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean -" Green sighed and stood. "Whatever. I need to go do something, anyway. Have you seen Serana around?"

"Yeah," Violet said, pointing up the stairs. "She went that way."

He thanked her and marched off, trying to think of what to say to Serana when he found her. He was so lost in thought that he didn't realize he was on the roof until he saw her.

She was sitting on the parapet, watching the sunset. But her hood was down, and she was letting the wind whip her black hair around.

Green froze. She looked…

"Are you going to stand there all day?" Serana asked him.

He winced when he realized that he had been discovered. But it was too late to turn back now.

He walked forward, standing next to her as they stared at the setting sun. "Can I join you?"

She shrugged, and he sat cross-legged next to her while she let her legs swing over the edge.

They stayed like that for a long time before he found the nerve to speak. "I'm sorry."

Serana didn't look at him. "For what?"

"You know what."

She sighed. After a moment, she spoke. "Why didn't you tell me you had a sister?"

Green leaned backwards, using his hands to balance himself. "That's…rather complicated."

"Tell me."

Green frowned and tried to gather his thoughts. "I met Violet when I was on the run from the police force in Cyrodiil - they thought I killed Zechariah. She was a bard at some inn that I forget the name of, and she defended me when the guards caught up. We came to Skyrim and were both almost executed when the Imperials caught us. You know what happened after that; we embarked on a giant quest to defeat the dragon Alduin. I found out that Violet was my sister a few weeks after we escaped from Helgen. But I always thought there was something…odd about her.

"She would be oddly terse at the strangest times, and extra aggressive during combat. She seemed to thrive on violence. No, that's not true. She thrived on fighting. I, on the other hand, never really wanted to fight half the people who came after us. Zechariah had raised me better. It always bothered me that she had a hankering for fighting. She was the one who got both of us involved in the Dark Brotherhood. When I was cursed with lycanthropy, she was turned too, and she accepted it as a gift instead.

"After we defeated Alduin, everything settled down a bit. She was bored. I was relieved. She was looking for a fight. I was looking for peace. We disagreed and went our separate ways." Green chuckled to himself. "It's actually kind of ironic. I found a war, and she found someone to give her peace." He turned back to Serana, who was listening intently despite his rambling. "I just…I guess I never told you because I was angry. I didn't want to acknowledge her as my sister, and so I didn't. But I should have told you. I'm sorry."

Serana stared at him for a long time. Then she smiled and started laughing.

Green frowned at her, but after a moment he couldn't help smiling too. "What's so funny?"

She stopped laughing to wipe a humor-induced tear from her eye. "You're an idiot."

"What?" He wasn't sure whether to laugh or not. "What did I do?"

Serana shook her head and chuckled slightly. "You didn't _just_ find a war. You found the Dawnguard. You discovered that truth about your parents."

"And I found you." The words came out before he had a chance to think about them, but Green knew that he meant them wholeheartedly.

Serana paused, and then smiled one of the smiles that he was able to pull from her. His stomach tied itself in knots. "Yes. You found me."

Slowly, doubting himself, he closed his right hand around hers. After a moment, she intertwined her fingers with his. There was a hestitance now that hadn't been there before. They looked back at the sun. It was almost over the horizon, now.

"Are you ready to do this?" Green asker her after a few minutes of silence.

Serana looked down at her feet. "I don't think you can ever be ready to kill your parent. I'm doing my best not to think about him as my father anymore."

Green didn't know what to say to that. He squeezed her hand instead. "Let me know if you need anything."

Serana squeezed his hand back. "We've got enough to worry about right now. You stay focused, and I'll worry about me."

 _Well, that's not fair,_ he thought. _How can I not worry about her?_

"What do we do once this is over?" Green asked, looking at her.

She met his eyes. "Well, you'll probably go back to living peacefully or with the Dawnguard, and I'll just…look for more adventure, I guess."

He continued to look at her. "That's not what I asked."

Serana looked back at the sky. The sun was just a whisper of light, now. "I don't know." She looked down at their hands, then back at him. "Ask me when this is all over."

Green nodded. That was a fair answer.

When the sun was completely gone from the sky, he stood.

"Come on," he said, holding out a hand for her. "We've got a war to end."

* * *

 **Please revieeeeeewwwwwww!**

 **A woman thanked me for joining the vegetarian group, but I've never seen herbivore.**


	30. Chapter 28

Violet didn't get any sleep that night. She hadn't gotten any sleep since Marcurio went missing.

Part of it was worry. Part of it was fear over what she would see when she finally closed her eyes.

But it didn't matter. She was up before all the other members of the Dawnguard and was sitting in the entry hall of the fort in the morning when Serana entered the room.

Violet was half asleep when the other woman walked into the room, and to her chagrin Violet didn't notice Serana until she had sat down next to her suddenly.

Violet snapped awake with a start, staring at the woman next to her. Blinking away her sleepiness, Violet could see why Green favored Serana so. The vampire exuded a field of strength, but also friendliness. Where others may have been intimidated by the orange eyes, Violet found herself curious.

"So you're Green's…friend," Violet finally said.

Serana nodded. "And you're Green's sister."

Violet stuck out a hand. The vampire shook it. "Nice to meet you. Can I ask how you two met?"

Serana shrugged. "That's complicated."

Violet checked the height of the sun. It was barely morning. "I've got time."

So Serana told Violet about her family politics, and all the events that had led to her being locked away in Dimhollow Crypt.

"What do you mean, 'locked away?'" Violet asked her.

The vampire shrugged once more. "My mother used magic to put me to sleep for a very long time. I don't remember the exact process used."

Something in the back of Violet's head was trying to catch her attention, but she ignored it. "Alright. Go on."

"There's not much more to tell. The next thing I knew, Green was freeing me from the crypt, and the whole adventure had begun."

Something inside of Violet punched her in the gut.

 _"All you must do is make sure that Thomas follows the path I have set for him. In nineteen years, he must travel to Skyrim and free a pawn I have placed in a crypt."_

"Oh no," she muttered, just loud enough for Serana to hear.

"What?" Serana asked. "What is it?"

If Molag Bal wanted Green to free Serana from the crypt, that meant that he would have wanted Harkon to receive the Elder Scroll. But when Serana went off course and brought it to the Dawnguard instead…

Unless the daedric lord _wanted_ Serana to do that. If she and Green were to team up to prevent the prophecy by bringing all three Elder Scrolls together…they would begin the search for Auriel's Bow.

But what about the Aedra not wanting Green to touch their artifacts? Wouldn't that put a wrench in Molag Bal's plan?

Unless the daedric lord knew that with Green out of the game, Serana would still face her father alone, maybe even to avenge Green. She and the Dawnguard would be easily overpowered by Harkon, if they didn't destroy each other first.

Slowly, the threads came into focus. Violet no longer saw a daedric lord whose plan had been foiled; she saw a daedric lord who had been silently scheming and manipulating for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years. How could anyone be sure that their actions were their own?

How could she let them go through with the assault, possibly bringing Auriel's Bow directly to Harkon?

 _Simple,_ a voice whispered to Violet. _Marcurio. He's still in there somewhere. This is the only chance you'll get to free him._

Violet's stomach twisted. It was true. Even without the attack planned, Violet still would try to save Marcurio, and she would fail. She needed the Dawnguard to help save him. She needed him.

"Nothing," Violet eventually replied. "Just…just a stomachache."


	31. Chapter 29

**We are one chapter away from the final battle, people! I'm excited!**

* * *

Something slapped Marcurio across the face.

He snapped awake, but was unable to leap to his feet in alarm because a boot was stepping on his neck. It was with great difficulty that he did not ignite the magicka in his hands. For some reason, the vampires seemed to have forgotten his abilities. Narius must have been an idiot.

Marcurio stared up at the person with their foot on his neck defiantly. The vampire sneered at him.

"Get up," he said, removing the boot.

Marcurio considered disobeying for just a moment before doing as the vampire said. As he stood, he caught a glimpse of Logan and the young Dark Elf cowering in the corner. The mute woman was nowhere to be found.

The vampire tied Marcurio's hands behind his back before he had a chance to object. The vampire began to lead him out of the cell.

"Where are you taking me?" Marcurio asked. His voice was hoarse from lack of use.

The vampire smiled coldly at him. "Lord Harkon is hungry."

 **x x x**

Green managed to make it across the span of water between the shore and Castle Volkihar without too much trouble. He was among the first to cross, and he crouched in the shadow of a crumbling tower as the rest of their small army approached. So far, they had remained undiscovered, but with each group that arrived on the boat, the risk increased exponentially.

It took them longer than expected to come to the shore of the castle, and Green wasn't the only person frustrated by it. Isran was swearing profusely when he came to shore, and it was only Green's reminder that they needed to be quiet that shut him up.

Eventually though, all of their warriors were on shore and prepared for battle. There were at least twenty-five of them in all, including the small squadron from the Imperial Legion. Violet was among them, looking exhausted but no less battle ready.

Isran gave no grand speech, having given a version of one back at the fort, so instead he just raised his sword and charged. The other twenty-four charged after him, and almost immediately Gargoyles burst to life from their stone skins on the bridge and attacked.

 _So_ _much_ _for_ _the_ _element_ _of_ _surprise,_ Green thought as he dodged the claw of one and sliced it across the midriff. Knowing that it wasn't enough to kill the beast, he danced out of the way of another slash before beheading it with one deft sword stroke.

Soon all the gargoyles were defeated, with only one casualty. They didn't have time to properly respect the fallen Imperial Soldier, but Green made sure to close the soldier's eyes before continuing on.

When they reached the front gates, they were lowered. Like they were expected.

Violet did the honors of kicking down the front doors. The wood slammed against the stones with a loud thud! that echoed throughout the inside of the castle. Green, Violet, Isran, and Serana led the way into the castle, and no less than ten vampires rose to meet them.

Normally, twenty-four versus ten wouldn't have been much of a challenge. But these were vampires, and strong ones at that. But they were also facing vampire hunters and trained soldiers. They were fairly evenly matched.

Violet, Green, and Serana fought side by side. Green roasted a vampire alive with his magic while Serana blocked a sword stroke from another and Violet impaled it upon her sword. Serana ducked just in time as Green's sword whistled over her head to decapitate the vampire trying to sneak up on her. She spun and sliced off the arm of the vampire attacking Violet. Green finished it off with a lightning bolt.

Violet turned to fight another vampire, only to find that there weren't any left. The room was temporarily empty. But more were pouring in from another entrance to the entrance hall.

She grabbed Serana's arm. "Where are the cattle kept?"

Serana frowned and pointed to an entrance that was empty of vampires for the moment. "They're kept down that passage."

Violet thanked her and then rushed off towards the passage. Green and Serana shared a look before following her.

Violet rushed down the passageway as fast as she could, scarcely pausing to catch her breath. Marcurio would be close; he had to be!

She paused only once to kill a vampire that guarded the way to the cattle before hurrying into the prison. There were two cells on either side, and she searched the first only to find that it was empty. She checked the second and found two people crouching inside; a man and a young Dark Elf. Marcurio was not one of them.

"Where is he?" Violet asked them, opening the door to the cell. They stood when she approached, shaking like wounded animals.

Green and Serana stood behind her, the latter a safe distance away from the cattle.

The man spoke first, his dark eyes glittering in the dim lighting. "Who?" His voice shook almost as bad as he did.

"M-Marcurio," Violet responded. Both looked at her blankly. "Tall guy, darker skin, black hair?"

"Oh, him," the older man said. "He was taken for a feeding."

Green looked at Serana, who looked paler than usual. "A feeding?"

She looked back at him, distress written on her face. "He's been taken to my father."

When they returned to the the main entrance hall, the Dawnguard had surrounded the entrance to the room and were defending it from a horde of vampires. Isran was sitting on the table above a pile of bodies, wiping his sweaty forehead with a dirty rag.

"There are more than we expected," he said when he saw the three approaching. "We need to find Harkon and end this. They might give up once he's dead."

Green nodded and turned to Serana. "Where would your father be?"

She thought for a moment. "Probably the 'chapel.' He would spend hours at a time in there."

Violet closed her fist around her sword. "Let's go."

* * *

 **Please Review! I appreciate it a lot when you guys do.**

 **How do monsters like their eggs? Terri-fried!**


	32. Chapter 30

**Final battle, guys! Yay!**

 **Um, also...I need more reviews. I hate to have to beg, but I seriously need some feedback, people. Thanks!**

* * *

Violet kicked open the door to the chapel with vicious ferocity.

Harkon was waiting for them, and the sight she saw made her pause. Instead of a man, like she was expecting, a cross between a human and a bat stood before them, with blue skin and toned muscles.

He was gripping Marcurio by the shoulders with his strange clawed hands. Marcurio's neck was bleeding and he was shaking like a leaf with his eyes closed.

Rage awoke within Violet, and she gripped her sword so hard that her knuckles turned white and and she struggled not to attack the vampire lord then and there.

Green and Serana advanced on either side of her, and Harkon laughed when he saw them with their weapons raised. He stopped laughing when he saw Auriel's Bow in Green's hands.

"Serana, my darling," the vampire said to his daughter. "I see you still favor keeping a pet." He glared at Green, and Green glared back harder.

"You know why we're here," Serana replied. Her sword handle was slick with sweat.

Harkon scoffed. "Of course I do." His gaze flicked between Green and Serana, who were still standing rather close to each other. "You disappoint me, Serana. You've taken everything I provided for you and thrown it all away for this…pathetic being."

Violet watched Serana's eyes flash dangerously. " _Provided for me?_ Are you insane? You've destroyed our family. You've killed other vampires. All over some prophecy that we barely understand!" She shook her head. "No more. I'm done with you. _You will not touch him._ "

Harkon chuckled again, and Violet felt herself shudder. Under his claws, Marcurio stopped shaking when the vampire lord dug his talons into the mage's shoulder. "So, I see this dragon has fangs. Your voice drips with the venom of your mother's influence. How alike you've become."

"No. Because unlike her, I'm not afraid of you. Not anymore."

Harkon's eyes narrowed and he turned to Green. Blood dripped down Marcurio's shoulders. "And you. I suppose I have you to thank for turning my daughter against me. I knew it was only a matter of time before she returned with hatred in her heart."

Green scoffed. "Hatred born of your neglect."

Harkon shrugged, and the action hurt Marcurio more. The mage groaned. Violet tightened her grip on her sword. "A small price to pay for the betterment of our kind."

"Your kind is a blight on this world." Green's voice was scathing.

Harkon rolled his blood-red eyes. "Yes, yes. Always the noble vampire hunter. And what happens when you slay me? Is Valerica next? Is _Serana?_ "

Green shook his head. "I would never harm Serana. She's too important to me."

Harkon's eyes burned with fury. "Then my daughter is truly lost. She died the moment she accepted a mortal into her life."

"Enough of this!" Violet interrupted, speaking for the first time.

"Yes, quite." Harkon's voice took on a bored quality. "I'm growing weary of speaking to you two and my traitorous daughter."

He seemed to notice Violet's tense way of holding herself then. He laughed once more and dug his claws further into Marcurio's shoulders, making him cry out in pain. Violet took a step forward, her teeth bared.

"I'll give you a single chance to turn over the bow to me. There will not be a second, or the mage here dies." Harkon smiled at her, and Violet's stomach churned.

She couldn't let Marcurio die. Her eyes flicked to Green's hands, where Auriel's Bow was clasped.

Marcurio was still shaking violently, and he seemed to be muttering something under his breath. Violet strained her ears to hear what he was saying.

 _"Son of Stag and Son of Stone_

 _When you find all your courage gone_

 _A woman will help you, but beware_

 _For this wolf with yellow eyes_

 _Will herald where your doom lies_

 _And when you're gone, and swept away_

 _She will find to her great dismay_

 _That her doom was feelings un-threadbare."_

Her stomach lurched.

Molag Bal wanted this, too. He wanted Violet to have feelings for Marcurio so she would take the bow from Green and give it to Harkon. It was all a part of his plan.

And she couldn't let that happen.

Violet stared at Marcurio and she could've sworn she saw him smiling.

"Never," she told Harkon.

"Very well then, you leave me no choice!" Harkon smiled that evil smile at her and sunk his teeth into Marcurio's neck.

"NO!"

Violet lunged forward, but to no avail. But it turns out she didn't need to.

While they had been speaking, Marcurio had slowly been untangling the rope from around his wrists. Now, when Harkon tried to bite him, he closed both his fists at the same time, and green light enveloped his body. As soon as Harkon's teeth made contact with his neck, there was a tremendous _cracking_ sound, and the vampire lord suddenly cried out in pain as his fangs broke loudly. He released Marcurio, and the mage fell to the floor.

At the same time, Green fired an arrow from Auriel's Bow that just barely missed Harkon's heart and lodged itself in his chest. Immediately, a golden light burst forth and burned the vampire lord. The stench of burnt flesh filled the room.

Harkon growled in a mixture of pain and rage and jumped forward. "Auriel's Bow will be mine!"

"FUS RO DAH!" Violet and Green shouted simultaneously, sending Harkon flying backwards. Unfortunately, he stabilized himself before he slammed into the wall.

With a snarl, Harkon summoned two giant gargoyles into the room, surrounding the heroes.

As much as Violet wished to help Marcurio, who was still shaking (although not as violently) on the ground, she was forced to roll out of the way of a strike from one of the gargoyles. Out of the corned of her eyes, she saw Green take on the other gargoyle while Serana went after her father.

Violet kicked up with her leg, striking the gargoyle in the stomach, which barely affected it other than to stagger it a little bit. However, it gave her time to get to her feet and slash the gargoyle across the chest. It started bleeding, but the beast retaliated immediately and Violet received a long slash across her forearm. Growling a curse, she lopped off its head with aggressive force.

She joined Green in defeating his gargoyle, and they both turned just in time to see Harkon strike Serana with so much force that she flew across the room, bleeding from several deep cuts in her chest. She landed next to a fountain of blood bearing the symbol of Molag Bal.

"NO!" Green screamed, slamming Harkon with a maelstrom of fire.

Harkon staggered backwards, but before he had a chance to do anything, Violet shouted, "YOL TOOR SHUL!"

The vampire's skin blistered and burned, but he did not perish. Instead, he vanished into a cloud of bats and reappeared over the shrine, with a circle of blood-red light surrounding him. His back was arched and his wounds seemed to be knitting themselves shut before their eyes.

"The bow!" Serana groaned, forcing herself into a sitting position a yard or so away from her father. "Shoot it with the bow!"

Not wasting a single moment, Green raised Auriel's Bow and fired an arrow at the strange red light surrounding Harkon.

Immediately the red aura exploded into lava-colored flames, and Harkon fell to the floor, landing adroitly. Most of his wounds seemed to have healed.

Violet cursed. She looked at Green and he nodded at her, giving her the signal. They waited until Harkon was right between them and began shouting.

"YOL TOOR SHUL!"

"FUS RO DAH!"

"FAAS RU MAAR!"

"KRII LUN AUS!"

Harkon stumbled and suffered under their collective attack, but when they paused, their throats burning, he stood. His eyes were so cold they could have created a glacier out of the Ghost Sea. He turned to Violet, and before she had a chance to react, he held up an orange spell in his hand.

She was jerked across the room, flying through the air. It felt like Harkon had his grimy claws around her throat and was choking the life out of her, though he wasn't physically touching her. With a sadistic grin, he released his hand, and she was thrown backwards, slamming into the wall. There was a terrible crack! and a burning pain shot through her leg.

The last thing she saw before unconsciousness took her was Marcurio's blood on the floor.

"Violet!" Green shouted. He tried to run to his sister, but Harkon got in the way.

That was the last straw. Harkon had harmed Marcurio. He had injured Serana. He had nearly killed Violet.

He had to die. He _needed_ to die.

Green raised his hands, placing Auriel's Bow on his back, and muttered a string of profanities.

Then his magicka was fully ignited, and they battled toe-to-toe. Or, well, toe-to-claw. Green sent a wave of fire and lighting roaring towards Harkon, but the vampire lord deflected it. Harkon retaliated with sending a storm of bats Green's way, but Green burned them all alive. They dropped to the floor, dead.

They battled back and forth like that for some time, each attack deflected by the other. But Green knew that he, and more importantly his friends, couldn't last much longer. He needed to end the fight, and he needed to end it quickly. Even though he was still standing, he was bleeding from a dozen minor wounds that he didn't remember getting.

With a shout, Green raised his hands and used the last of his magicka in a maelstrom of fire, lighting, and ice. The destructive force slammed into Harkon, throwing the vampire lord into the wall.

Green stood for a moment alone in the chapel, panting, before sinking to one knee as a wave of pain rolled over his body. Gasping, he looked over at Lord Harkon only to discover that the blasted vampire was still alive. And smiling.

"You're stronger than I gave you credit for," Harkon said, blood dripping from his split vampire lips. "For a mortal."

" _Dur Hi! Bo Wah Fin Sunvaar!_ " Green cursed in the dragon language.

"Your pitiful dragon brethren will not help you now," Harkon laughed. "It's over!"

He punctuated the last word with a kick to Green's chest that sent him sliding across the floor, where he slammed into the wall. He groaned in pain as one of his ribs broke.

Harkon approached slowly, taking his sweet time.

From the corner of his eye, Green saw Serana struggle to stand, but she only ended up falling to the floor. "No! Leave him be!"

Harkon spit in Serana's general direction. "Ah, my traitorous daughter. Now you will see what happens when you disobey me!"

The vampire lord had reached Green. With another terrible laugh, he raised his claw and buried it in Green's gut.

" _No_!" Serana screamed, lurching forward and tumbling down the steps to the altar.

Green didn't feel any pain. Just a horrible, creeping cold, spreading from the wound in his gut to the rest of his body slowly. With the cold came the horrible realization that he had failed. Harkon would take Auriel's Bow from his body, kill Serana, and then slaughter the rest of the Dawnguard before bringing doom upon the whole world.

Then, a voice, sounding as if from far away. _"I will place my name with you and grant you the right to call my name from Tamriel. Do me this simple honor, and I will fight at your side as your Grah-Zeymahzin, your ally…"_

Green coughed, and blood dribbled down his chin. Harkon was standing over him, gloating, giving some grand monologue about the glory of vampires.

Using the last of his strength, he uttered three words: " _Dur Neh Viir_."

Harkon spun on him. "What did you say?"

Green smiled cockily at him, and more blood spilled onto his torn-up armor. The cold had reached his limbs. He could not move. "Nothing."

Harkon growled and stomped on Green's chest, breaking more of his ribs. He gasped in pain.

"Leave him be!" Serana repeated, managing to get herself into a sitting position on the steps. Blood poured down her chest, but she was still alive. Barely.

"I will not!" Harkon said shrilly. " _This_! This is your doing, daughter! _You_ have killed the man you love, not me!"

"Wrong, father." Serana grunted, clutching the wound in her chest futilely. "You started this all long ago."

Harkon cursed at her and raised his claws in anger, but a sudden sound stopped him.

Wings.

He was in front of Green in an instant. "What have you done?"

Green coughed, and his whole body convulsed. When he had gathered enough strength, he spoke.

"Haven't you heard?" He said with a grin. "Dragons have returned to Tamriel, bitch."

Then the wall exploded.

Everything that happened after that was fragmented in Green's memory.

Durnheviir, smashing into Harkon with his claws.

Harkon, one of his arms missing, trying in vain to summon a gargoyle to assist him.

Durnehviir, ripping Harkon to pieces.

Durnehviir, vanishing in a purple light.

Marcurio crouching over Serana with a healing spell in his hands.

Marcurio and Serana kneeling over his body.

Serana crying as she attempted to heal him.

Darkness.

* * *

 **Alright! Just one more chapter and then a lengthy epilogue! This is actually the closest I've come to finishing a story for FF. Wish me luck! (You know, like...through this weird thing called a "review." I've heard that writers really appreciate those.)**

 **What do you call a cow in an earthquake?**

 **A milkshake!**


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